Lunch & Learn: Fear City

On October 9th, join Dr. Kim Phillips-Fein, the Robert Gardiner-Kenneth T. Jackson Professor of History at Columbia University, for an in-depth discussion about her book Fear City: New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics.

When the news broke that New York City was on the brink of fiscal collapse, few believed it was possible. Yet, the city was indeed billions of dollars in the red, with no way to pay back its debts. Fear City tells the remarkable story of the financial crisis that engulfed the city, permanently transformed New York, and reshaped ideas about government across America.

A sweeping history of some of New York City’s most tumultuous times and an origin story of the politics of austerity, Fear City is essential for anyone seeking to understand the resurgence of fiscal conservatism today.