I haven't read "Average is Over" but I think that Cowen's "The Great Stagnation" covered a lot of the same ground. It was informative and reasonably persuasive

I haven't read "Average is Over" but I think that Cowen's "The Great Stagnation" covered a lot of the same ground. It was informative and reasonably persuasive, even if one doesn't share his prescriptions for fixing things. It presents the idea of a slowdown in innovation and educational progress causing a slowdown in economic growth, particularly for the median white guy. I don't think Cowen was the first to come up with it, but the book was definitely responsible for getting it talked about regularly. Well worth the quick read.