The index, he explains, is in some sense \u201ca measure of inclusiveness,\u201d developed based on discussions with stakeholders around the world about what is missed when policymakers concentrate on GDP (which tallies the value of all the goods and services produced by a country each year) to the exclusion of social performance.<\/p>\n
The United States may rank sixth among countries in terms of GDP per capita, but its results on the Social Progress Index are lackluster. It is sixteenth overall in social progress: well below Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan in several key areas, including citizens\u2019 quality of life and provision of basic human needs.<\/p>\n
About 20 or 30 years ago, for reasons Porter says he cannot completely explain, the rate of progress in America began to slow down. As a society, he points out, Americans slowly became more divided, and important priorities such as healthcare, education, and politics suffered.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, he notes that even though other fast-growing nations such as India and China haven\u2019t been able to attain a level of social progress commensurate with their economic progress either, certain countries such as Rwanda have \u201cknocked the cover off the ball\u201d in terms of social progress. \u201cThey went through a genocide, were devastated, and, to bring the society together, there was a consensus, led by the president, that their first job was to re-energize and restock the society and the capacity of their citizens,\u201d he says. For example, the country achieved a 61 percent reduction in child mortality in a single decade, and today, primary-school enrollment stands at 95 percent. Rwanda also ranks high for gender equity, as women constitute a majority of the parliament\u2014partly he says, because a lot of men were killed, but also because the country set out to be a place where women are not just equals, but leaders.<\/p>\n
Porter hopes his continuing work on the index will help explain why<\/em> the United States is \u201cdoing poorly\u201d relative to other countries that are doing well.<\/p>\n In terms of progress for the average citizen, Porter warns, the United States is more threatened now, globally and economically, than it has been in generations.<\/p>\n Laura Levis writes: \u00a0What are the ingredients of a \u00a0healthy, inclusive society\u2014one that offers its citizens opportunity, happiness, and a positive quality of life? According to Lawrence University Professor Michael E. Porter, models of human development based on economic growth … Continue reading ![\"Wellness?\"](\"http:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Wellness.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"