Unequal Hopes, Lives, and Lifespans in the USA: Lessons from the New Science of Well-Being

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Carol Graham, The Brookings Institution

Description/Abstract

Given that we have had historic increases in inequality, as well as stagnant poverty levels for several decades, I will tell the story of poverty and inequality in the U.S. from the perspective of the metrics of happiness and well-being. My research—and the book that resulted—found that inequality is part of this story, but not the only part. The story was much more complicated than I anticipated. One of the most interesting parts of the story includes different levels of hope and resilience across races and places. Poverty and inequality play a big role, but there is much more to it.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Date

9-2018

Language

English

Series

Reports Series

Acknowledgements

The Herbert Lourie Memorial Lecture on Health Policy, sponsored by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University and the Central New York Community Foundation, Inc., honors the memory of Herbert Lourie, MD, a distinguished Syracuse neurosurgeon, professor, and community leader for nearly 30 years. Generous contributions from his family, friends and colleagues, and former patients have endowed this series.

Disciplines

Economics | Finance and Financial Management | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Health | Sociology | Urban Studies and Planning

Additional Information

Policy brief no. 53

Recommended Citation

Graham, Carol, "Unequal Hopes, Lives, and Lifespans in the USA: Lessons from the New Science of Well-Being" (2018). Center for Policy Research. 274.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/274

Source

Local input

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

© 2018, Syracuse University. This publication may be distributed freely for educational and research uses as long as this copyright notice is attached. No commercial use of this material may be made without express written permission.