Clearinghouse Review Connects Advocates to the American Human Development Report

From the November–December 2007 issue of the Shriver Center’s Clearinghouse Review, subscribers can learn about an important new expansion in the U.S. antipoverty movement. The first American Human Development Report will be released in April 2008; the project will pioneer the use of a United Nations methodology and approach to assess quality of life in an affluent country.

The Clearinghouse Review article, “American Human Development Report 2008,” coauthored by Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, Eduardo Borges Martins, and William M. Rodgers III, directors and key staff on the American Human Development project, describes the facets of this seminal report and offers several opportunities for advocates to get involved. According to the authors, the fact-based nonpartisan report seeks to “engage Americans in a dialogue about the country’s future” and about how public policy and citizens’ participation in politics can work to overcome disadvantage.

“While data are plentiful on the extremes of affluence and deprivation in the United States, the Human Development Index (HDI) is a unique composite measure—a powerful snapshot of our society. The HDI holds a mirror up to our society on where we stand and, over time, monitors progress in overcoming social, economic, and environmental problems.”

Using official census data, the American Human Development Report will construct a Human Development Index (HDI), ranked by congressional district, state, gender, and ethnic group. The report will feature a unique collection of statistical tables containing economic, social, political, environmental, military, and other data by state—statistics not compiled elsewhere in one publication. Project leaders will lead a 16-month broad, participatory process of consultation, research, and writing in order to promote informed public debate following the April 2008 release.

If you would like to learn more or get involved, here are a few suggestions:

• Share with project directors (right away) illustrations of effective policies, programs, or other relevant efforts that could be replicated elsewhere or that could inform national policy. If your story is featured in the report, you will be contacted to verify information.
• Become a partner organization and host an event, such as a presentation or policy discussion at launch time in April 2008.
• Participate in a Shriver Center–sponsored teleconference on the issues raised in this article in order to share readers’ experiences, reactions, and ideas. If you are interested in participating, send an e-mail to Ilze Hirsh, editor and vice president of communication programs, at ilzehirsh@povertylaw.org.
• Learn about American Human Development Report events by sending an e-mail to americanhdr@bigplanet.com.

For more information, contact Ilze Hirsh or Joanna VanderWoude, media relations associate.