The squeezed middle brings together leading experts from both sides of the Atlantic to ask what the UK can learn from the US experience of stagnating wages and rising living costs.

Foreword by Gavin Kelly and Jared Bernstein; Introduction ~ Sophia Parker; Section 1: Setting the scene: a rising tide no longer lifts all boats; A lost decade, not a burst bubble: the declining living standards of middle-class households in the US and Britain ~ Larry Mishel and Heidi Shierholz; Rising incomes and modest inequality: the high employment route ~ Lane Kenworthy; Section 2: Policy lessons: creating quality work, raising incomes and building greater economic security; Improving job quality in low-paid jobs: care workers in the US ~ Eileen Appelbaum and Carrie Leana; Employment change and economic vulnerability in the US ~ Francoise Carre and James Heintz; New evidence and new directions for promoting labour market advancement for low and modest earners ~ Jim Riccio; Boosting the pay packets of low- to middle-income families ~ Daniel P. Gitterman; Strategies to expand the affordable private rental stock ~ Keith Wardrip; Insulating middle-income households from economic insecurity: why savings matter, and how we can increase them ~ Joanna Smith-Ramani and Preeti Mehta; Section 3: Looking ahead: a cautionary tale; The path to post-recession prosperity ~ Tamara Draut; How US politics is undermining the American Dream, and what it means for the UK ~ Jacob S. Hacker; Conclusion: learning the lessons ~ Vidhya Alakeson.