In the century after the Civil War an economic revolution enhanced the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable Electric lighting indoor plumbing motor vehicles air travel & television transformed households & workplaces But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative historical anecdotes & economic analysis The Rise & Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated & demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 & 1970 cannot be repeated Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality stagnating education an aging population & the rising debt of college students & the federal government & that we must find new solutions A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time The Rise & Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change & a harbinger of tougher times to come