Canada and the United States are typically regarded as 'laggards' in welfare state development. They are regularly classified together as 'liberal' welfare states, with relatively lower levels of welfare state fiscal effort and coverage. There is some truth to this portrait overall, but in...

In 1975, 50 year-old Americans could expect to live slightly longer than their European counterparts. By 2005, American life expectancy at that age has diverged substantially compared to Europe. We find that this growing longevity gap is primarily the symptom of real declines in the health of...