The Measure Of America

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The Measure of America, 2010-2011, is the definitive report on the overall well-being of all Americans. How are Americans doing-compared to one another and compared to the rest of the world? This important, easy-to-understand guide will provide all of the essential information on the current state of America.

This fully illustrated report, with over 130 color images, is based on the groundbreaking American Human Development Index, which provides a single measure of the well-being for all Americans, disaggregated by state and congressional district, as well as by race, gender, and ethnicity. The Index rankings of the 50 states and 435 congressional districts reveal huge disparities in the health, education, and living standards of different groups.

For example, overall, Connecticut ranked first among states on the 2008-2009 Index, and Mississippi ranked last, suggesting that there is a 30-year gap in human development between the two states. Further, among congressional districts, New York's 14th District, in Manhattan, ranked first, and California's 20th District, near Fresno, ranked last.

The average resident of New York's 14th District earned over three times as much as the average resident of California's 20th District, lived over four years longer, and was ten times as likely to have a college degree. The second in the American Human Development Report series, the 2010-2011 edition features a completely updated Index, new findings on the well-being of different racial and ethnic groups from state to state, and a closer look at disparities within major metro areas.

It also shines a spotlight on threats to progress and opportunity for some Americans as well as highlighting tested approaches to fostering resilience among different groups. Using a revelatory framework for explaining the very nature of human progress, this report can be used not only as a way to measure America but also to build upon past policy successes, protect the progress made over the last half century from new risks, and create an infrastructure of opportunity that can serve a new generation of Americans.

Beautifully illustrated with stunning four-color graphics that allow for a quick visual understanding of often complex but important issues, The Measure of America is essential reading for all Americans, especially for social scientists, policy makers, and pundits who want to understand where Americans stand today.

Review: A comprehensive study of the basic features of human development in the United States seen in a global context. -Amartya Sen,Nobel-prize winning economist and professor, Harvard University If you want to spend the next few hours staring at maps of various social indicators, from the broad like income and health, to the narrow like do diabetes rates and voter turnout correlate, head on over to the American Human Development Project's 'Mapping the Measure of America'. -JJ Sutherland,NPR The American Human Development Project has created an incredible interactive map showing health, education, and income state by state. -Andrew Sullivan,The Atlantic The Measure of America 2010-2011: Mapping Risks and Resilience, assesses how people are doing in terms of health, education levels and standards of living for the 50 states and 436 congressional districts, using data from government organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -Emily Rueb,The New York Times Bravo to the American Human Development team for another breakthrough volume.

The Measure of America 2010-2011 could not be more timely. -Jeffrey D. Sachs,Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University The Measure of America's interactive map is a cool way to look at how your state stacks up. -Mary Forgione,Los Angeles Times If you want to see your country for real, take a look at The Measure of America, a website and book about how we're doing.

The project tracks what it calls the Human Development Index, factoring in health and education and standard living. -Laura Conaway,The Maddow Blog This book is an essential reference for those working in urban a