"The Measure of America": A More Complete Picture of How People Are Faring

Begins
 29 Oct 2008 - 12:10pm
Ends
 29 Oct 2008 - 1:30pm
Location
Henry Cohen Conference Room, 72 5th Ave, 3rd Floor

 "The Measure of America" 
A More Complete Picture of How People Are Faring

"I think of this book as kind of the liner notes for the election, broken down by congressional district and by state."  
John Hockenberry, Host, The Takeaway, PRI, July 18, 2008 

Wednesday, October 29
12:10 - 1:30 p.m.
Henry Cohen Conference Room
72 Fifth Avenue @13th St, 3rd floor

Introductory and welcoming remarks:
Alec Gershberg, Milano School and Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Graduate Program in International Affairs, New School

Presentation: 
Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis, Co-authors, "The Measure of America"

Commentator:
Jeffrey Madrick, Director of policy research at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, The New School. 

 

The Measure of America: American Human Development Report 2008-2009 applies the well-honed international human development index concept to rank the U.S. 50 states, 436 congressional districts, and major racial and ethnic groups. 

A project of the Social Science Research Council, the American Human Development Project has set out to inject some non-partisan, fact-based exploration of issues that Americans really care about into the debate about strengthening economic dynamism, creating more effective social policies, and expanding choices and opportunities for all Americans.

 

Some findings from the research that help to illustrate the deficits in providing opportunities and choices to all Americans include the following: 

 

  • Among the nation's 436 congressional districts, New York's 14th District (Manhattan's East Side) ranks first on the American Human Development Index, and California's 20th District (around Fresno) ranks last. The average resident of New York's 14th District earns over triple the average California's 20th District resident, lives over four years longer, and is ten times as likely to have a college degree.

  • African Americans today have a shorter lifespan than the average American in the late 1970's.

  • The U.S. is one of only four countries of 175 surveyed that do not have federally mandated paid maternity leave.

  • Despite the fact that the United States spends roughly $5.2 billion every day on health care, more per capita than any other nation in the world, Americans live shorter lives than citizens of every Western European and Nordic country except for one.

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