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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An inside look up the inside of a building, with four floors and a dinosaur skeleton visible.
The Latest Issue

April 2026

Inside the new ES and SEAS complex; kudos for austerity; jazz at Princeton.