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The Smart Society
Book

The Smart Society

Strengthening America’s Greatest Resource, Its People

Peter D. Salins
Encounter Books, 2014
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Eye Opening

Recommendation

State University of New York professor and former provost Peter D. Salins directly dealt with human capital as head of the largest American university system. He discusses what makes the US a “smart society” – one where all citizens contribute socially and economically. Salins bemoans that countries threaten the US’s historic dominance in education and industry. He devotes most of his discussion to education as the most crucial contributor to human capital. Salins also addresses immigration reform with less polarization than many other commentators, though he is more controversial on welfare reform and is unabashedly nationalistic. His suggestions for practical reform are well researched and thought provoking. While politically neutral, getAbstract recommends familiarity with Salins’s ideas to elected officials, activists, parents, teachers, professors, and anyone involved in education, economics and immigration.

Summary

“The Smartest Society”

Human capital creates a smart society – one that takes care of its people and helps the less fortunate. “Education is the single most important determinant of any person’s human capital,” but education without productivity diminishes human capital. However, societies can import human capital via immigration. Thus, education, productivity and immigration form America’s “human capital tripod.” Government affects human capital by managing education and immigration, and it affects business by issuing patents and funding research.

America’s Lost Lead

The US no longer leads the world in education. Americans younger than age 35 lag behind their peers in Canada and in a dozen or so other nations. Large gaps in performance separate ethnic groups, and that poses a major challenge for US education. White and Asian children score higher than African-American and Hispanic children. Yet, white and Asian students in the US demonstrate lower performance than their counterparts in other countries.

The college graduation rate is lower in the US than in other countries because many American high school seniors aren’t academically prepared for university...

About the Author

Stony Brook University political science professor Peter D. Salins also directs the university’s graduate program in public policy. He is the former provost of the State University of New York, the largest group of state-run US universities.

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