The High Costs of Being Poor in the Land of the Dream

Excerpt

My contribution to this discussion focuses on the unequally shared American dream. It is based on my new book: Happiness for All? Unequal Hopes and Lives in Pursuit of the American Dream (Princeton Press, 2017). I use traditional measures of income inequality as a point of departure and then use well-being data to highlight inequality in beliefs, hope, and aspirations. The high costs of being poor in the U.S. are more evident in stress, insecurity, and hopelessness than in material deprivation. This hopelessness is, by definition, the opposite of life fulfillment (eudaimonia) and begs the question where lack of hope and opportunity in a rich world fits into Maslow’s hierarchy. I cannot answer that question, but I hope that some of my observations contribute to the discussion of the question. …