The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America

by Arthur C. Brooks

Overview

Arthur C. Brooks, one of the country’s leading policy experts and the president of the American Enterprise Institute, offers a bold new vision for conservatism as a movement for happiness, unity, and social justice—a movement of the head and heart that boldly challenges the liberal monopoly on “fairness” and “compassion.”

Drawing on years of research, Brooks presents a social justice agenda for a New Right—an inclusive, optimistic movement with a positive agenda to fight poverty, promote equal opportunity, extol spiritual enlightenment, and help everyone lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Firmly grounded in the four “institutions of meaning”—family, faith, community, and meaningful work—it is a call for a government safety net that actually lifts people up and offers a vision of true hope through earned success.

Clear, well-reasoned, accessible, and free of vituperative politics, The Conservative Heart is a welcome strategy for conservatives looking for fresh, actionable ideas—and for politically independent citizens who believe that neither side is adequately addressing their needs or concerns.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062319760
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/06/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	243,332
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Arthur C. Brooks is president of the American Enterprise Institute, where he is also the Beth and Ravenel Curry Scholar in Free Enterprise. Until 2009, he was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University. Before entering academia, he spent twelve years as a professional French hornist with the City Orchestra of Barcelona and other ensembles. Mr. Brooks is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and the author of ten books, most recently the 2012 bestseller The Road to Freedom. He is a native of Seattle and currently lives in Maryland with his wife, Ester, and their three children.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction: The Conservative Heart: How We Have Changed the World-But Can't Seem to Get Our Footing 1

Chapter 1 America's Pursuit of Happiness: Why It Is the Central Expression of the Conservative Heart 25

Chapter 2 Why America Hasn't Won the War on Poverty: Spending Trillions Without Moving the Needle Where It Matters Most 53

Chapter 3 Pushing the Bucket: How Honest Work Ennobles and Elevates Us 81

Chapter 4 Lessons from an Indian Slum and an Austrian Ghost Town: Inspiration from a Society on the Make and a Cautionary Tale from One That Disappeared 107

Chapter 5 A Conservative Social Justice Agenda: A Better Way to Fight Poverty 131

Chapter 6 From Protest Movement to Social Movement: A Road Map for the New Right 159

Chapter 7 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Conservatives: How to Talk So Americans Will Listen 179

Acknowledgments 217

Notes 219

Index 239

Editorial Reviews

Arthur Brooks understands not only that the way we think shapes the way we speak, but that the way we speak about social problems such as poverty and opportunity conditions the way we act. A thinking person’s primer for a conservative politics of human flourishing.

George F. Will

04/01/2016
Brooks eloquently explains how a modern conservative party that embraces inclusiveness and antipoverty policies grounded in free enterprise would attract voters unhappy with the Democratic Party. Concise, well-crafted chapters offer a blueprint for how conservatism could become the nation's dominant political ideology, with citizens enjoying community pride, meaningful work, and spiritual fulfillment. Readers of all political stripes will find much to consider here.

Library Journal

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