About the author: Steve Isser is a lawyer with Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll, in their Washington, DC office. He is the author of The Economics and Politics of the US Oil Industry 1920-1990, as well as numerous articles for scholarly journals and trade publications. Dr. Isser has taught at the University of Texas and Southwestern University
2001 0-7734-7412-9 While ostensibly a study of the development of the prorationing system in Texas in the 1930s, this book develops the concept of “Populist Corruption” to describe the utilization of populist symbols and ideology to support the pursuit of private self-interest, especially in the development of American economic policy. It examines the conflict between the greatest industry of 20th-century American capitalism and how populist symbolism was used to subvert populist goals.