Customer Reviews

The Measure of America: American Human Development Report, 2008-2009 (A Columbia / SSRC Book)

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The American Human Development Project is far more than just a report of data and conclusions. On the contrary, it not only provides interesting insight on the state of our nation, but it gives its readers a completely fresh perspective on how to examine our collective and individual well-bring. For example, instead of emphasizing how the economy is doing (GDP, etc) we should be asking how our citizens are faring within the economy.

The report is unique and the first of its kind in that it exclusively examines the United States all the way down to its 436 congressional districts. Likewise, even more specific lenses are provided when ethnicity, age, income, etc are all included. From all this, index scores are computed and given to each locality and state, allowing readers to rank and compare just how well-off we all are. This is truly an innovative report that is well worth a long look.

This book's use of statistical data from the US Census is startling in its clarity and conclusions. We have long known that the few measures we have of the position (a subjective feel for the economic/educational/achievement) of people, or groups of people, are few and flawed. The most common is the federal poverty level which attempts to define the amount of income families of different sizes need to avoid poverty, which is only roughly defined as having some money left at the end of the month. This measure is not only one dimensional, income, but is known to be so flawed in its structure and result that the vast majority of programs that use the poverty level as a qualifier for participation use multiples of up to 300%.

By pulling together realistic measures of health, educational attainment, income, and similar data, the authors build a composite model that is multi-faceted, much more expressive and accurate. Being based on Census data, the statistical spotlight can be focused on specific areas of the country, in many cases down to county, Congressional district, or zip code instead of assuming that descriptive statistics are spread like peanut butter, uniformly across the nation.

This book and subsequent reports by the authors should be read by everyone who believes it is necessary to understand, with some accuracy, how people are actually faring in the US.

This is a stunning, detailed, thoughtful, and remarkably informative collection of information. The statistics and summaries illustrate trends that clearly show what our policy priorities should be and why. The website and interactive support materials found there are fun, sleek, and colorful, and bring the numbers alive, with some surprising facts revealed, positive and negative. I am using this for college level psychology course instruction, for human development and stress/health topics. What a lens this information provides, and in such an engaging, user friendly format-manifesting the ideal that human tools, knowledge and culture can and should enhance human experience and development. A must read not only for policy makers, educators, health care workers, economic advisors or investors, but for anyone living on planet earth! Penelope Snow

Absolutely fascinating! Looking at the US from a human development perspective is original enough, but this book gets even better with the inclusion of detailed (by state, gender, race/ethnicity, Congressional District, etc., etc.) data on a variety of measures of well-being. Highly recommended!

The measures in this report provide a much-needed resource for quantifying the disparities in health, income, and education between states and congressional districts. This data is invaluable and will most certainly prove to be useful to students and scholars of American politics.

Edit of 19 Sep 08: Apology for not completing this. Am absorbed in publishing a new book, Election 2008: Lipstick on the Pig, that will be on Amazon Wed 24 Sep, and also free online. Back to this later, but including it in the annotated bibliography that I am finishing up now.

This is a preliminary review to encourage one and all to buy this book, but especially Americans who read and are smart enough to realize that the two candidates for President are both illiterate and incoherent. I am quite sure neither one of them has read this book or any other book remotely relevant to curing all that ails America.

Some first impressions--this week-end or next I will do one of my "full up" reviews with a summarization of key points.

1) This book benefits from the best possible work of the United Nations with respect to evaluating human development.

2) The model measures a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living in a credible useful way.

3) The over-all development of this book, including font, white space, and illustrations in color, is superb.

4) The US is collapsing and this book explains why on all fronts.

I am deeply impressed by this work. It is a stake in the heart of US politics and the corruption that defines the leadership of America across all fronts (government, corporate, media, labor leaders, and religion)--all crooked and all working AGAINST the public interest.

BUY THIS BOOK! Nothing would please me more--nor be more salutory for the health of this once great Nation--than to have hundreds of you waving this book in each candidate's face, demanding that they read it, review it, and act upon its fundamental recommendations.

One small example: the book examines how low-education and low-income parents create new generations of low-education and low-income children, for lack of a coherent program to lift all children.

BRAVO!