Re: standard of living?

On Fri, 21 May 1999, Jeffrey L. Beatty wrote:

> The most common
> indicator of consumption of goods and services consumed by the average
> person in a society is gross domestic product per capita (or per head). 
> By this indicator, the U.S. standard of living has increased since 1980,
> contrary to Alan's claim.

It is generally accepted that while per capita GDP may have increased, the
gains have been concentrated in the top 20% (a common pattern worldwide
over the last two decades). The middle 40% have stagnated, and the lower
40% have declined.  Median GDP per capita might be more informative than
average GDP per capita.  --AKW

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Adam K. Webb
Department of Politics
Princeton University
Princeton NJ 08544 USA
609-258-9028                    
http://www.princeton.edu/~akwebb
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