The United States in Comparative Perspective

the united states in comparative perspective just the numbers peter dreier M ost Americans do not know how the United States compares to other affluent nations on various measures of economic and social well-being.This makes it difficult for them to consider whether another America, if not another world, is possible, because they have no basis of comparison other than anecdotes, stereotypes, and an often misguided view that the United States is "number one" on most indicators of the good life.At the same time, many Americans feel their economic security and well-being are deteriorating-but they do not know if these trends are reversible, or whether there are lessons to be learned from other countries that do things differently and, in some cases, better.So how does the United States compare?Additional charts, tables, and notes on sources can be found at www.contextsmagazine.org/content_vol6-3.php.