The Upside of Down: Why the Rise of the Rest is Good for the West Audiobook

America is in decline, and the rise of the East suggests a bleak future for the world’s only superpower – so goes the conventional wisdom. But what if the traditional measures of national status are no longer as important as they once were? What if America’s well-being was assessed according to entirely different factors? In The Upside of Down, Charles Kenny argues that America’s so-called decline is only relative to the newfound success of other countries. And there is tremendous upside to life in a wealthier world: Americans can benefit from better choices and cheaper prices offered by schools and hospitals in rising countries, and, without leaving home, avail themselves of the new inventions and products those countries will produce. The key to thriving in this world is to move past the jeremiads about America’s deteriorating status and figure out how best to take advantage of its new role in a multipolar world. A refreshing antidote to prophecies of American decline, The Upside of Down offers a fresh and highly optimistic look at America’s future in a wealthier world.

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“Charles Kenny is the real deal: an optimist with an economist’s data to back him up. So when he looks at the glass and sees it’s half full—you can rest assured it’s not because he needs new contacts. In The Upside of Down, he carefully dismantles our preconceived notions about American decline and the rise of the rest—and makes a convincing case by the end for why we shouldn't be too worried about either.”

— Susan Glasser, Editor, Politico