Americans are not as well off as people in peer nations – US safety net’s shortfalls show up in global data

This is not a one-year blip. The US has been underperforming in terms of health, education and more for the past 25 years.

By: Stephen Bagwell, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Susan Randolph, University of Connecticut, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 26, 2026

Words: 1,590

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 6 days ago

By Stephen Bagwell, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Susan Randolph, University of Connecticut

As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the global data we collect and analyze shows that the country is failing to “promote the general Welfare,” as the Constitution’s framers promised a little more than a decade later.

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