What institutions and policies are most conducive to human flourishing?

1. INTRODUCTION

About this book

What do we want in a good society?

Life in the good society

PART 1. WHAT WE WANT IN A GOOD SOCIETY

2. BASIC NEEDS

A livable planet

Air, water, and land

Food

3. COMMUNITY

Social connections

Civic engagement

Trust

Religion

4. DEMOCRACY

Democracy

Democracy: public opinion

Elections: voters, groups, and parties

Elections: does it matter who wins?

Challenges: political polarization

Challenges: right-wing populism

5. ECONOMIC EQUALITY

Income distribution

Wealth distribution

Inequality’s effects

6. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Equality of opportunity

7. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

Economic growth

Shared prosperity

8. ECONOMIC SECURITY

A decent and rising income floor

Stable income and expenses

9. EDUCATION

Early education

K-12 education

College education

Education’s effects

10. EMPLOYMENT

Employment

Job quality

Employee voice

Work-family-leisure balance

11. ENERGY

Energy

12. FAMILY

Families

13. FINANCE

Finance

14. FREEDOM

Personal freedom

Economic freedom

15. GOOD GOVERNMENT

Good government

Competition policy

Macroeconomic policy

Regulatory policy

Social policy

Social policy: effects

Social policy: public opinion

Tax policy

Big government: effects on the economy

Big government: effects on freedom, civil society, and happiness

16. HAPPINESS

Happiness

17. HEALTH

Longevity

Mental health

Weight moderation

Healthcare

18. HOUSING

Affordable renting

Homeownership

Housing the homeless

19. INCLUSION

Tolerance

Black Americans

Disabled

Elderly

LGBT+

Women

Working-class whites

20. KNOWLEDGE

How do we know?

Information

Truth

21. OPENNESS AND SUPPORT FOR OTHER PEOPLES

Trade

Migration

Military intervention abroad

22. ORDER

Order

23. PRIVACY

Privacy

24. PROGRESS

Progress

25. RIGHTS

Human rights

26. SAFETY

Safety

Guns

PART 2. WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE DONE BEST AT ACHIEVING GOOD-SOCIETY OUTCOMES?

27. SUCCESSFUL SOCIETIES

Successful societies

PART 3. HOW TO GET GOOD-SOCIETY OUTCOMES

28. WHAT WORKS

Liberalism

Affluence

Social democratic capitalism

How to ensure rising incomes when labor unions are weak

Cities

International security and integration

29. ADDITIONS, AMENDMENTS, ALTERNATIVES

Community

Competition and big business

Degrowth

Democratic socialism

Do we need more trust?

Economic democracy

Functional finance

Government economic steering

Inequality reduction

Is big government bad for the economy?

Is big government bad for freedom, civil society, and happiness?

Is policy progress possible?

Open borders

Public ownership

Single-payer

Stimulative and sound macroeconomic policy

Tax progressivity

Truly democratic politics

Universal basic income

Will the Nordic model work in non-Nordic countries?

PART 4. A BETTER AMERICA

30. PROSPECTS FOR THE UNITED STATES

America is exceptional and ordinary, good and bad, better and worse

What America needs

Toward the good society: an American path

What the states can do

PART 5. THE GOOD LIFE IN THE GOOD SOCIETY

31. WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL CAN DO

Life tips

APPENDIXES

A. OPEN ACCESS BOOKS ON THE GOOD SOCIETY

Social Democratic Capitalism

Social Democratic America

Progress for the Poor

Is Inequality the Problem? (open access in October 2026)

Would Democratic Socialism Be Better?

Egalitarian Capitalism

Jobs with Equality

B. ADDITIONAL DATA

A decent and rising income floor: additional data

Climate stability: additional data

College education: additional data

Employee voice: additional data

Employment: additional data

Finance: additional data

Income distribution: additional data

K-12 education: additional data

Longevity: additional data

Migration: additional data

Personal freedom: additional data

Social connections: additional data

Taxes: additional data

Voters, groups, parties, and elections: additional data

C. SUPPLEMENTS

Types of mobility

Understanding graphs

What is left? What is right?