Between 1979 and 2007, the richest 1% saw their income grow by 256% , while the bottom 80% grew by only 20% .

In their book , political scientists Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson present a "detective story" that investigates why American economic inequality has skyrocketed since the late 1970s. The Central Mystery: Who Stole the Middle-Class Dream?

The authors found that economic growth didn't just favor the "educated"—it favored the , and even more so the top 0.1% .

While labor unions and middle-class advocacy groups declined, corporate interests organized into powerful lobbying machines.

This political muscle led to deregulated financial markets, tax cuts for the hyper-wealthy, and a system where "banks are organized; their customers are not".