Peddling Panaceas: Popular Economists in the New Deal Era

An early advocate of collectivism, Chase's influence waned after the Supreme Court invalidated two early successes, the NRA and the AAA. David Cushman Coyle, a structural engineer who, like many engineers during the Depression, fancied himself an economist, may be taken as the voice of the followers of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis within the New Deal. Always influential, they became more prominent after the invalidation of the NRA in 1935. These three popular economists not only influenced policy but also educated the American public about the Depression. Scarcely a month went by without an essay by Chase or Coyle in the popular magazines of the decade, and both were also prolific authors of books and pamphlets. Their views and influence help us understand the economic and political climate of the 1930s. Peddling Panaceas will be of interest to economists, cultural historians, political scientists, and sociologists.

Table of Contents:
Preface, Introduction, 1. The Committee for the Nation, 2. The Committee for the Nation and the New Deal, 3. The Decline of the Committee for the Nation, 4. The Emergence of Stuart Chase, 5. Stuart Chase and the New Deal, 6. Stuart Chase and the Second New Deal, 7. David Cushman Coyle and the Irrepressible Conflict, 8. David Cushman Coyle and the Second New Deal, 9. David Cushman Coyle and the Decline of the New Deal, Conclusion, Notes, Bibliography, Index

Review :
-Few historians know the New Deal period as well as Gary Dean Best and few have written about it so ably. This study of the work of Stuart Chase and David Cushman and of the Committee for the Nation does more than fill a gap that long needed filling. It presents indispensable data on one of the most significant periods in all American history. The style is clear, the research thorough. As such it is valuable not simply to the historian but to all with an interest in public policy. - - Justus Doenecke, professor of history, University of South Florida -In Peddling Panaceas, Gary Dean Best shows again why he is the best historian writing on the New Deal today. His book clearly explains the myopic government solutions peddled by Stuart Chase and David Cushman Coyle, neither of whom had economic training and both of whom influenced public policy at the highest levels. Best's book is a must read for New Deal historians.- - Burton Folsom, Jr., Charles F. Kline Chair in History and professor of history, Hillsdale College -Peddling Panaceas offers a coherent and compelling alternative intellectual history of the New Deal and provides new detail on three important factions of New Deal policymaking.- - Ranjit S. Dighe, Department of Economics, State University of New York at Oswego "Few historians know the New Deal period as well as Gary Dean Best and few have written about it so ably. This study of the work of Stuart Chase and David Cushman and of the Committee for the Nation does more than fill a gap that long needed filling. It presents indispensable data on one of the most significant periods in all American history. The style is clear, the research thorough. As such it is valuable not simply to the historian but to all with an interest in public policy. " - Justus Doenecke, professor of history, University of South Florida "In Peddling Panaceas, Gary Dean Best shows again why he is the best historian writing on the New Deal today. His book clearly explains the myopic government solutions peddled by Stuart Chase and David Cushman Coyle, neither of whom had economic training and both of whom influenced public policy at the highest levels. Best's book is a must read for New Deal historians." - Burton Folsom, Jr., Charles F. Kline Chair in History and professor of history, Hillsdale College "Peddling Panaceas offers a coherent and compelling alternative intellectual history of the New Deal and provides new detail on three important factions of New Deal policymaking." - Ranjit S. Dighe, Department of Economics, State University of New York at Oswego "Few historians know the New Deal period as well as Gary Dean Best and few have written about it so ably. This study of the work of Stuart Chase and David Cushman and of the Committee for the Nation does more than fill a gap that long needed filling. It presents indispensable data on one of the most significant periods in all American history. The style is clear, the research thorough. As such it is valuable not simply to the historian but to all with an interest in public policy. " - Justus Doenecke, professor of history, University of South Florida "In "Peddling Panaceas," Gary Dean Best shows again why he is the best historian writing on the New Deal today. His book clearly explains the myopic government solutions peddled by Stuart Chase and David Cushman Coyle, neither of whom had economic training and both of whom influenced public policy at the highest levels. Best's book is a must read for New Deal historians." - Burton Folsom, Jr., Charles F. Kline Chair in History and professor of history, Hillsdale College ""Peddling Panaceas" offers a coherent and compelling alternative intellectual history of the New Deal and provides new detail on three important factions of New Deal policymaking." "- Ranjit S. Dighe, Department of Economics, State University of New York at Oswego" "Few historians know the New Deal period as well as Gary Dean Best and few have written about it so ably. This study of the work of Stuart Chase and David Cushman and of the Committee for the Nation does more than fill a gap that long needed filling. It presents indispensable data on one of the most significant periods in all American history. The style is clear, the research thorough. As such it is valuable not simply to the historian but to all with an interest in public policy. " - Justus Doenecke, professor of history, University of South Florida "In "Peddling Panaceas", Gary Dean Best shows again why he is the best historian writing on the New Deal today. His book clearly explains the myopic government solutions peddled by Stuart Chase and David Cushman Coyle, neither of whom had economic training and both of whom influenced public policy at the highest levels. Best's book is a must read for New Deal historians." - Burton Folsom, Jr., Charles F. Kline Chair in History and professor of history, Hillsdale College ""Peddling Panaceas" offers a coherent and compelling alternative intellectual history of the New Deal and provides new detail on three important factions of New Deal policymaking." "- Ranjit S. Dighe, Department of Economics, State University of New York at Oswego"