The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe:
“What explains the dramatic differences in economic performance between the two Americas?
“Take some World Bank GDP numbers — one measure of economic success. We want people to make an adequate living, especially poor people who are struggling. And if we are ambitious, we want people to live the good life — including expensive things like quality food, education, healthcare, and travel.
“The GDP data are striking.
“Start with a poor country like Bolivia: per capita GDP is $3,000 (USD). But in Paraguay, people are half again as prosperous at $4,500, and Ecuadorians and Peruvians are twice as rich as Bolivians at over $6,000 per year …” [Read more here.]
Previous column in The Good Life series: Free College Tuition Is a Moral Issue.