"The book examines sixteen industrialized countries in North America, Western Europe, and Scandinavia - each with different approaches to assisting the poor - to see how successful each has been in developing its economy and curbing inequality over the past twenty years." "Egalitarian Capitalism addresses fundamental questions of national policy with rigorous scholarship, and with a clarity that makes it accessible to any reader interested in the alleged trade-off between social equity and market efficiency. The book analyzes the viability of traditional welfare regimes and offers sustainable options that can promote egalitarian societies without hampering economic progress."--BOOK JACKET.