This is a collection of theoretical papers, including contributions by Partha Dasgupta and three Nobel prize-winning economists: Kenneth Arrow, Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz. Originally published in 1982.

"The Measure of America" is the first-ever human development report for a wealthy, developed nation. It introduces the American Human Development Index, which provides a single measure of well-being for all Americans, disaggregated by state and congressional district, as well as by gender, race, and ethnicity. The Index rankings of the 50 states and 436 congressional districts reveal huge disparities in the health, education, and living standards of different groups. Clear, precise, objective, and authoritative, this report will become the basis for all serious discussions concerning the realization of a fair, just, and globally competitive American society.

This volume distils the thinking of an international group of leading economists on the changing roles of governments and markets in economic and social development. It argues that government has a vital role to play in facilitating the effective functioning of markets, even though the recent tendency has been to withdraw from direct involvement in certain sectors of the economy and to reduce intervention and control in others.