Despite good intentions, American federal government polices often fail. Why are Americans, who are richer than ever, so dissatisfied?

One major reason is that federal government policies are often predicated on the idea that the (only) way to change peoples' behavior is to change their economic circumstances. This kind of economic determinism was originally the product of Marxist thought. Practicing Marxists like Lenn and Mao, however, did not accept this view in practice. They employed ideas, education and propaganda to achieve their goals. They were not in this way very good Marxists. But this was not the end of the notion of economic determinism. It has found a home in commercial republics like America, especially under the influence of progressivism.

This book explains the ways in which domestic and foreign policies, as well as intelligence assessments, are shaped by economic determinism. As such, their too-narrow view of the springs of human action often lead to policy failures. Too much is promised and too little is delivered.