Scott Alexander reviews 'A Brief History of Neoliberalism', finding it engaging but flawed in its economic analysis and predictions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews David Harvey's 'A Brief History of Neoliberalism', a book that critiques the rise of neoliberal economic policies since the 1970s. The review highlights Harvey's argument that neoliberalism was a deliberate project to restore class power, rather than a necessary economic reform. Scott finds the book engaging but criticizes its lack of depth in economic explanations and its tendency to frame events dramatically without sufficient evidence. He notes that while Harvey makes some interesting points, many of his predictions about the future of neoliberalism have not come to pass. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the dynamics of cool vs. uncool groups, relating it to Richard Nixon's college strategy of uniting outsiders against elites. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on his middle school thoughts about cool and uncool kids, wondering why uncool kids don't band together to challenge the cool kids' status. He then shares a comment from a reader that draws parallels to Richard Nixon's college experience, as described in Rick Perlstein's book 'Nixonland'. The comment details how Nixon formed the Orthogonians, a group for outsiders and strivers, in opposition to the elite Franklins at Whittier College. This strategy of uniting the 'uncool' majority against the 'cool' minority became a blueprint for Nixon's later political success. Shorter summary