GOUGED

In GOUGED, economic policy expert Lindsay Owens takes us inside the corporate boardrooms where pricing decisions are made, uncovering the tricks, traps, and outright fraud corporations use to jack up the price you pay at checkout. From data collection to drone surveillance, modern technology has bestowed companies with a staggering arsenal of sophisticated tools to squeeze as much money out of consumers as possible, bringing in record profits as a result.

Drawing on original reporting, shareholder meeting transcripts, and rigorous economic analysis, Owens takes aim at big tech behemoths, airlines, health insurance companies, and more to pull back the curtain on how price gougers come for almost every line item in your household budgetfrom doctors' visits to rent, groceries, and even your summer vacation. GOUGED arms us with the essential knowledge we need to first recognize, then sidestep the traps that corporations try to conceal from us. In a world where price gouging has become ubiquitous, this is necessary reading for anyone looking to stay informed, save money, and stand up for a fair price in America.

Lindsay Owens, PhD, is the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, a Washington think tank and corporate watchdog devoted to people-first economic policy. She previously served as a senior economic policy adviser to Elizabeth Warren and deputy chief of sta? and legislative director to now Attorney General Keith Ellison and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has been a featured commentator on MSNBC's The Reid Out and The Beat with Ari Melber, CNBC's Squawk Box, PBS NewsHour, and The Problem with Jon Stewart, among other programs. Owens holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.