Mission Statement
The American Human Development Report 2008, currently under preparation, will take a fresh look at old problem to consider the obstacles that limit Americans' freedom to invest in themselves and their families. It will consider select issues American care about most, including: a decent education, good health, personal safety, a secure livellihood, a say in decisions that affect us, dignity and more.
Published annually since 1990 by Oxford University Press, the global Human Development Report is an authoritative source on development issues and a public policy tool. Today this model is replicated in over 140 countries. The American Human Development Report will be the first-ever such report on the US or any other developed country.
The Report will apply the Human Development Index to the US for the first time. This index offers easy-to-compare snapshots of different population groups' well-being, including men and women, different ethnic groups, the 50 states and 435 Congressional Districts. The index will be presented through maps and graphs in a hard copy report, and online in an interactive format.
Description
The following are some of the features of the American Human Development Report:
· Unique, easily understood, numerical measure: the Human Development Index is readily grasped and reflects what most people believe are the very basic ingredients of human well-being -- health, education, and income.
· Comprehensive source of data: The Report will contain key social, economic, political, environmental and military data distilled from a vast array of primary sources and not found together anywhere else.
· Relevance + accessibility = impact: Avoiding social science jargon and using clear language and powerful graphics, the Report will be accessible enough to impact public opinion.
Actionable: The Report will describe successful policies in America and other wealthy nations, allowing policy makers to draw practical lessons for policy action locally or nationally.
