Brad and Progress

[Brad De Long]

>A few days ago, either on pen-l or LBO, Brad discussed progress in terms of
>whether he would be better off today or in the condition of 
>ancestors.  I wonder
>how fair that test is.
>
>Brad, for instance, is a distinguished professor at a major 
>university. A number
>of people agreed that their personal circumstances were better than their
>grandparents.
>
>Of course, this test is biased.  If we would survey all winners of 
>lotteries to
>see its purchase of lottery ticket makes economic sense, we would 
>discover that
>lotteries are an excellent investment.
>
>It is probably true that a higher percentage of people worldwide are not poor
>today than in most earlier periods.  However, I suspect that being 
>poor today --
>especially thinking in global terms -- might be harsher than in earlier times.
>
>Brad mentioned better access to medical care as another indicator of progress.
>Again, on a worldwide standard, I suspect that medical care for the average
>person may have improved someone like to a far less degree than it 
>might appear
>from the perspective of a comfortable academic.

Nope. Human life expectancy outside the industrial core has *doubled* 
over the past century.