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Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism

Life expectancy has fallen in the United States for three years straight, and economics professors Anne Case and Angus Deaton suspect social and economic forces cause “deaths of despair” from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism. Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism (Princeton University Press) is a nuanced portrait of the American working class increasingly demoralized by the failures of capitalism and provides prescriptive next steps.

Paw in print

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Terri Sewell ’86 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, stands next to a portrait of civil rights leader John Lewis.
The Latest Issue

November 2026

History is in Terri Sewell ’86’s hands; campus mental health culture; the two Princetons.