Welcome to the 'Second Tier': US Failing Big League on Social Progress

Bymobanmarket

Click:wps官网

Contrary to the mythological story known as “American Exceptionalism,” the United States does a poor job, according to a fresh analysis, of meeting even “the basic human needs of its citizens” and should now be considered a “second tier” country in terms of promoting social progress.

Released by the Social Progressive Imperative (SPI), the 2017 Global Social Progress Index reveals that the U.S. ranks 17th in the world when it comes to promoting the general welfare, coming in behind its Canadian neighbor to the north and far behind Scandinavian countries and the other social democracies of Europe. Of all countries, Denmark comes in first when it comes to providing for its citizens and fostering progress on various fronts.

The Index, designed to offer “holistic” measurements of a country’s social performance independent of broader economic factors. According to a snapshot, the analysis shows that between 2014—2017:

  • Social progress has advanced worldwide, but not fast or far enough
  • Rapid improvements in Access to Information and Communications, and Access to Advanced Educations have driven global social progress
  • Personal Rights, Personal Safety, and Tolerance and Inclusion have eroded worldwide
  • The world’s most powerful countries have failed to make significant progress, putting the Sustainable Development Goals at stake
  • GDP is far from being the sole determinant of social progress

Michael Green, SPI’s CEO, suggested that even as many of the world’s least-developed nations continued to make strides, it was the backward slide and flat-lining of wealthy countries like the United States that should worry leaders in those countries.

“The US, the richest member of the G7 in terms of GDP per capita, is seriously underperforming to come in 18th in the world on social progress,” Green said in a statement. “Lack of safety, school dropouts, and low life expectancy are part of the story but so too is a slump in performance on tolerance and inclusion since 2014.”

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT