Nobel-winning economist Angus Deaton was feeling optimistic in 2013 when he published The Great Escape, which pointed to capitalism’s role in human progress as measured in rising life expectancy and declining poverty. Cowritten with Princeton economics professor Anne Case, Deaths of Despair is a gloomier book that wonders about America’s increasing rates of suicide, overdoses and addiction among middle-aged white men, especially those without four-year degrees. For many, globalization, the “knowledge economy,” outsourcing of jobs and the decline of unions and other institutions have eroded the framework of a dignified, meaningful life. We’ve all heard that median income has been stagnant since 1979. A more startling statistic is that for less educated white men, purchasing power fell by 13 percent during that same period. As the worst culprit, they identify America’s health care system, costly but unable to deliver good results to every citizen.
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