19.02.2025 19.02.2025 Discussion of the Book “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism” by A. Case and A. Deaton Took Place

On February 19, Gaidar Institute Press held a discussion of the book “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism” by Anne Case and Angus Deaton.


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Anne Case, Angus Deaton

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism

Translation from English by Andrei F. Vasiliev. - Moscow: Gaidar Institute Publishing House, 2025. - 464 с. ISBN 978-5-93255-682-5

Life expectancy in the United States has recently fallen for three years in a row-a reversal not seen since 1918 or in any other wealthy nation in modern times. In the past two decades, deaths of despair from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism have risen dramatically, and now claim hundreds of thousands of American lives each year-and they’re still rising. Anne Case and Angus Deaton, known for first sounding the alarm about deaths of despair, explain the overwhelming surge in these deaths and shed light on the social and economic forces that are making life harder for the working class. They demonstrate why, for those who used to prosper in America, capitalism is no longer delivering.

Case and Deaton attribute the crisis to the weakening position of labor, the rise of corporate power, and a rapacious health-care sector. They argue that capitalism, which over two centuries lifted countless people out of poverty, is now destroying the lives of blue-collar America.

The authors not only analyze the problem but provide solutions that can rein in capitalism’s excesses and make it work for everyone.

Speakers:
Igor Efremov, demographer, Researcher at the Center for Advanced Social Studies ION RANEPA.
Anna Nijnik, Docent, IFS RSUH, Candidate of Philological Sciences, MA in Political Science and International Relations.
Artem Zemtsov, Candidate of Political Sciences, Lecturer, Department of Political Science, the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES).
Ilya Inshakov, Candidate of Political Sciences, Docent, Department of Humanitarian Sciences, MSSES.

Friday, 21.02.2025