© Columbia University Press
The Measure of America: American Human Development Report, 2008-2009
Paper, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-15495-6
$24.95
/ £16.95
July, 2008
Cloth, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-15494-9
$75.00
/ £52.00
"The Measure of America is a wonderful tool and informative guide for readers in search of a deeper understanding of the complex nature of American society. " — Metro Spirit
"This very timely report articulates clearly the state of the country, using a multifaceted perspective; it is written in a straightforward, engaging manner . . . Essential." — Choice
"For the Secretaries of Labor, Education, Health, Housing, Transportation, and White House staffers on domestic policy, a highly useful gift would be: The Measure of America" — Derek Shearer, The Huffington Post
"One of The Globalist’s Ten Favorite Books of 2008." — The Globalist
"A welcome book . . . strongly recommended." — Christopher Simms, The New England Journal of Medicine
"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." — Amartya Sen
"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