Clara E. Mattei Clara E. Mattei is assistant professor of economics at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Sign up for our newsletter Subscribe to get our newsletter, for the latest reviews, essays and interviews delivered straight to your inbox! Advertisement Writing on Public Books Reviews “Work More, Consume Less”: How Austerity Coerces The true purpose of austerity is to permanently and structurally extract resources from the many to the few.