Illusions of Opportunity presents the first comprehensive measure of ideal against reality, calculating exactly how much opportunity is available relative to the number of American households reliant on it.

Even thirty years ago, this measure reveals, opportunity in America was already drying up - to the point that, today, we have a deficit of sixteen million adequate jobs, and nearly a quarter of American families can't find the work they need to sustain themselves decently, despite tremendous economic growth.

Illusions of Opportunity reveals how this has happened - and how the signs have been consistently misread, manipulated, or ignored by leaders across the political spectrum. John Schwarz's provocative and original new research demonstrates that neither global competition nor suffocating governmental interference are the real culprits.

The belief that all citizens should be able to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities decently is one that Americans, regardless of political affiliation, still share. Here Schwarz shows how the loss of opportunity has led to social decay, and how - with a better understanding of the problems we face - we might make the American dream a reality again.