America’s political story lives in the tension between the people’s voice and the answers true or failing offered by those in power.
A clear, historical look at America’s core political tension
private property and equal opportunity
"Every democracy lives in the tension between protecting what’s mine and preserving what’s ours."
About
Mack Ott
Mack Ott combined scholarship and statecraft: Fed economist, Treasury advisor in Saudi Arabia, professor in the U.S. and Europe/Asia, and policy consultant to nations across the globe. He wrote to show how rules, incentives, and institutions translate ideals into everyday governance work reflected here in a clear, historically grounded analysis of America’s property-and-equality rivalry.
Property v. Equality
A sweeping yet accessible history, Property v. Equality explains why the Founders prioritized protecting diverse “faculties” and property, how slavery and the Civil War forced a reckoning, and how policy milestones—from Lincoln’s “fair chance” initiatives to progressive taxation and the New Deal shifted the federal role. Ott clarifies the recurring confusion between equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes, offering readers a framework to read current fights over taxes, voting, courts, and social programs without losing sight of first principles.
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