U! S! A! We're Number .... 15?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A new report shows that in terms of aggregate health, education, purchasing power, security and general well-being, the U.S. has been in decline.

By Dalton Conley, The Nation.

The first bit of bad news is that America was slipping well before our most recent downturn. Whereas during the 1980s we were consistently No. 2 in the world (Switzerland occupied the top slot in 1980, while Canada did from 1985 to 1990), by the mid-1990s we had slipped to six. And by 2006 (the most recent year available), we had even fallen out of the Top 10 (to slot 15). Income clearly doesn't capture every dimension, since the United States still holds the No. 2 position in terms of income per capita. Rather, other aspects of American society make it less "developed" than it should be, given the resources available here.

This decline proceeded apace through the Reagan and first Bush administrations, during the go-go Clinton '90s, and through the regime of George W. Bush. We have slipped in periods of budget deficits and during the largest surplus in US history. So something deeper about the structure of American society is probably responsible.

Of course, there are some pretty good suspects. There is, for example, the issue of nearly 50 million people who don't have health insurance. There is the fact that college completion rates have been flat since the '70s despite an increasingly technological economy. And there is the wage stagnation for the bottom half, a problem that has dogged us since the oil shock of 1973. But there is one larger force underlying these trends that has been gaining steam over the past three decades, and that's income inequality.

Income inequality has been rising since the late '60s and is greater in the United States than in any other developed (i.e., rich) country. Income inequality can matter for general health, knowledge and our shared standard of living, for several reasons. First, the more that Americans have vastly different economic means at their disposal, the harder it is to generate political support for investments that would raise all boats. For instance, inequality often leads well-to-do people to abandon the public school system -- or to move to particularly well-funded districts, where house prices are highest. Some scholars even posit that high inequality harms our health, as a result of the stress from relative deprivation and increased efforts to keep up with the Joneses (or, as the case may be, the Gateses). While this claim remains highly controversial among health economists, the observation that more-unequal countries generally display worse health than more-equal ones is not in dispute. Such high (and rising) degrees of inequality in the United States (we are closer to Turkey on such measures than we are to France) are reflected in the HDI scores. Some Americans are a full fifty years behind others in terms of their level of development.

Yet the relationship between inequality and overall HDI scores is not straightforward. For example, state-level inequality is not a reliable predictor. The District of Columbia, New York and Connecticut all have high levels of inequality -- and are among the richest regions -- yet perform at the top in their American HDI scores. On the other hand, another rich state, California, boasts three out of the top five Congressional districts in terms of HDI (including Silicon Valley, West Los Angeles and West Orange County) while also bearing the shame of the worst district in the United States (Kings County in the Central Valley, which includes Fresno). Kings County is further behind in human development terms than any district in rural Mississippi; it is equivalent to the US average during the 1970s, and it isn't comparable to the scores of any of the rich countries we like to think of as our peers.

These differences -- even among rich states -- probably reflect distinct policy choices about how to invest in children and families. For instance, California -- held hostage by Proposition 13, which has limited property taxes over the last three decades -- is among the bottom half of spenders on K-12 education, despite having a diverse population with great needs in terms of English as a Second Language and related services. Meanwhile, New York spends more per pupil than any other state, and the District of Columbia and Connecticut are not far behind. In other words, educational investment might act as a bulwark against inequality's pernicious effects on human development.

Putting inequality in human development terms captures the cost to our collective future better than GDP, income or other abstract measures can, even -- or especially -- in perilous economic times such as these. And such a framework makes clear that if we want America to be "number one," it is more a matter of pulling up the bottom than of continuing to concentrate gains at the top. Until we deal with the rising tide of inequality we will not lift all boats -- recovery or no recovery.

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/131382/u...number_...._15/

Edited March 16, 2009 by Mister Fancypants

[justashooter 430]

interestingly enough, there was a dramatic increase in illegal immigration beginning in 1980 that closely parallels the fall of the USA in the rankings, and the character of illegal immigrants typically follows the areas (health, education, security, purchasing power) in which our rating has fallen.

perhaps there is a direct relationship? you decide.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

Of course, there are some pretty good suspects. There is, for example, the issue of nearly 50 million people who don't have health insurance.

is that 50 mill usc or does it include illegals?

[Kevin&Leilei 1]

What are numbers 1 through 14?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Of course, there are some pretty good suspects. There is, for example, the issue of nearly 50 million people who don't have health insurance.

is that 50 mill usc or does it include illegals?

I believe it is USCs

[alienlovechild 75]

Dumb article.

Income equality isn't the best measurement of development. Bosnia and Ukraine are in the top 10 with income equality but they aren't the best places to live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...income_equality

[Dan J 277]

interestingly enough, there was a dramatic increase in illegal immigration beginning in 1980 that closely parallels the fall of the USA in the rankings, and the character of illegal immigrants typically follows the areas (health, education, security, purchasing power) in which our rating has fallen.

perhaps there is a direct relationship? you decide.

It actually has more to do with the type of jobs available. It used to be you could get a good manufacturing job out of high school, and generally make a good living for yourself. But in general, what has replaced those jobs are much lower paying service jobs.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

#15? This should make Steven happy. The USA and it's guilty white population needs punishing.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

This should make all of you happy. It must be due to Obama being President. He has done in 8 weeks what it took George 8 years to do.

[DEDixon 39]

interestingly enough, there was a dramatic increase in illegal immigration beginning in 1980 that closely parallels the fall of the USA in the rankings, and the character of illegal immigrants typically follows the areas (health, education, security, purchasing power) in which our rating has fallen.

perhaps there is a direct relationship? you decide.

It actually has more to do with the type of jobs available. It used to be you could get a good manufacturing job out of high school, and generally make a good living for yourself. But in general, what has replaced those jobs are much lower paying service jobs.

Service jobs... what service jobs, have you been in any department store, any home depot, any Lowe's lately (lately as in the last 15 years)? There is no service in America.

Ever noticed the service in Philippine's stores? There is 1 employee for every 100 square foot of store space. Here in America, it might be 1 employee for every 2000 feet of store space and they still aren't paid well. Lowe's has call buttons in their aisles.... yuck!!! but that is where we are.

America is great, but I surely don't wish it upon any other nation!!!

(I got a little off topic... sorry)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

is that 50 mill usc or does it include illegals?

Nice classification. Because in the intellectually rarified world of conservatism, if you're not a USC you're an illegal.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

is that 50 mill usc or does it include illegals?

Nice classification. Because in the intellectually rarified world of conservatism, if you're not a USC you're an illegal.

get back under your bridge!

[Nessa 23]

whos the first 14?

[_Simpson_ 250]

The title of this article rubs me the wrong way to begin with, at least I know from the get go that Im getting a leftist look on this issue.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think the 15th is a typo - we are 12th...

Using official government statistics and robust peer-reviewed analysis, the American Human Development Report presents human development rankings for U.S. states, congressional districts, and ethnic groups. It reveals where America is today and sets a benchmark for monitoring progress tomorrow. Unlike the many existing measurements used to assess health, education, or income alone, the American Human Development Index (HD Index) combines these factors into one easy-to-understand measurement. This more comprehensive measure allows for a better understanding of the opportunities open to different groups of Americans.

The Human Development Report series advocates a shift away from a sole focus on economic growth as an end in itself and income as the final measure of a person's well being. This approach considers both income and growth as important means for human progress, but also looks at other things people value that do not show up in growth figures such as a quality education, a long and healthy life, personal safety, a secure livelihood, and a say in decisions that affect one's life.

The broad purpose of the American Human Development Project and its report is to introduce and champion the human development approach and index and to spur a non-partisan conversation, based on apples-to-apples data, about why such strikingly different results have been achieved. With colorful graphics and accessible language, the report is designed to appeal to a broad audience and to mobilize support for action to address key issues Americans really care about: a quality education, secure livelihoods, decent healthcare, and economic, personal, and community security.

Praise for the Book

"We get in this report not only an evaluation of what the limitations of human development are in the United States, but also how the relative place of America has been slipping in comparison with other countries over recent years. In the skilled hands of Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, and Eduardo Borges Martins, the contrasts within the country-related to region, race, class, and other important distinctions-receive powerful investigation and exposure. In these growing gaps we can also see one of the most important aspects of the souring of the American Dream, which is so much under discussion today. I do not doubt that The Measure of America will receive the huge attention that it richly deserves."

—from the foreword by

Amartya Sen

, Harvard University, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

"A rich analysis that will help us forge ahead in creating more economic dynamism, more effective social policies, and an expansion of everyone's freedom and opportunities."

—

William H. Draper, III,

former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

"This report shows that the quality of life issues we typically associate with the grossly inadequate social welfare programs of under-resourced countries are problems experienced by a shockingly large portion of the American population-perhaps a growing proportion."

—

Pamela B. Walters

, Rudy Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington

http://measureofamerica.org/2008-2009-report/about/