LAUSR

Overall, Greenwood and Holt do an excellent job of framing the theory behind what an alternative, comprehensive definition of the standard of living would look like. Supplementing this definition, the following articles offer an eclectic mix of perspectives on how the standard of living should be properly measured and how it might be improved. Thorough engagement of both historical and comparative analysis also lends both credibility and robustness to the findings. Although the book does a fine job critiquing existing definitions and proposing new ones, what is lacking is a good theoretical discussion of why these new definitions are universally applicable. Missing from the volume is a consideration that a high standard of living may mean different things to different people. For example, a pristine natural environment as discussed in chapter 10 would likely mean more to a person that lives close to a national or state park or protected federal land than an urban dweller that lives several miles away from any such area. Economic interventions that increase the cost of energy and certain kinds of food, as are proposed in chapter 10, might have adverse effects on the quality of life for those more sensitive to the cost of these items. Moreover, the specific effects on local communities, of particular importance to planners, remain ambiguous. Some of the proposals would only seem to raise living standards for a limited group of people, with gains distributed narrowly by region and demographic group. For example, a higher federal minimum wage proposed in chapter 6 is unlikely to substantially improve outcomes in high-cost-of-living regions where wages are well above national norms and for which there are few workers paid at or close to the federal minimum wage. Chapter 8’s proposed paid parental leave policy is unlikely to do much for poor families without wage earners or young children. Given the close connection between unemployment and poverty, the poverty-reducing impact of such an intervention may well be limited. In the discussions of policy benefits, it is not always clear for whom the interventions would improve the standard of living. The volume would also benefit from more careful attention to the distributional effects of such interventions across communities. There very well could be some tension between quality of life and sustainability, particularly where policies aimed at promoting sustainability may reduce the quality of life in some communities. For example, a rapid shift away from fossil fuels to alternative energy would undoubtedly have severe effects on communities with local economies dependent on fossil-fuel extraction. There is curiously very little discussion of how the standard of living for such communities could be maintained or improved. Also missing is a quantitative measure of how much each of the proposed measures would improve the quality of life. The reader might thus be able to gauge the order of magnitude and efficacy of each proposed solution in improving living standards, with at least some comparison to its social and economic cost. In addition, the scale of the cited problems is enormous, yet the proposed interventions, with the notable exception of those described in chapter 4, seem focused on implementing more enlightened public policy rather than addressing the institutional arrangements and incentives that produce such problems. Emphasis is consistently placed on public investment and regulation rather than on direct action and change within the vast for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Building on what was outlined in chapter 4, the book might have also more deeply examined ways public–private partnerships and nonprofit/for-profit linkages could promote the living standard ideals outlined in each chapter. Despite these weaknesses, Greenwood and Holt’s volume is an excellent introduction to alternative ways of thinking about defining and improving the standard of living. The book serves as a fine and noteworthy contribution to the debate on how best to improve living standards within the United States.