Franken compares...

Senate hearing: Franken vs. Hudson Institute...

Thanks to my student Dave Rosenman for sending me this.

The use of foreign exemplars

James Fallows writing in The Atlantic:

Foreign examples are useful spurs to internal action. Sputnik served that purpose 50 years ago, and Japan's industrial successes led to valuable changes in American corporate and fiscal policies nearly a generation ago. [Today] A look at China can help America address its main shortcomings--reckless fiscal and foreign policies, delay in moving away from dependence on oil--and perhaps also suggest ways the nations can work together...

Ignorance

Ignorance is the first penalty of pride.

HG Wells, The Outline of History

Want a happy, healthy childhood? Choose Norway...

Or Denmark, or France, or even Britain. But avoid the USA. The OECD evaluated 21 variables for children under 18 in six categories ranging from material well-being, housing, education, health and safety, risky behavior, and the quality of school life. The US compared badly: out of 30 OECD countries, the US ranked 23rd (material well being), 12th (housing & environment), 25th (educational well-being), 24th (health and safety), 15th (risky behavior) and 14th (quality of school life).

In the same article, The Economist highlights findings that America suffers a distressingly high degree of 'persistence of earnings': the rich stay rich, and the poor stay poor. To be clear: "the poorest American children are considerably more likely than are their European peers to stay poor."

For a summary see: The Economist. For the report itself, go here.

Welcome to Congenital Eminence

...a blog devoted to viewing the US in comparative international perspective.