Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton on Politics and White Poverty

Are poor white Americans voting in their own best interests? Is it better to be poor in Bangladesh or in the Mississippi Delta? The Atlantic interviews Nobel-prize winning economist Angus Deaton.

The Atlantic interviews Nobel-prize winning economist Angus Deaton. Far-ranging questions about politics and economics are broached. Deaton coauthored a study about how mortality rates for middle-aged white Americans is actually increasing. White rural drug use seems to be a big part of the story. But are poor white Americans really voting in their best interests when they vote for someone like Trump? Why are they so anti-government when they receive government benefits? How do you compare living in these parts of America versus being in an extremely poor country abroad?

Full link:

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/03/angus-deaton-qa/518880/