We present new data on the fertility of blacks, 1820 to 2000, and whites, 1800 to 2000, by state. We present new data on schooling by race and cohort from 1840 to 2000. We present data on mortality for whites, 1800 to 2000, and blacks, 1820 to 2000, by state. The data indicate convergence in all...

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- I. The Effect of Social Capital on Market Behavior -- 1. The Importance of Social Interactions -- 2. Social Forces, Preferences, and Complementarity -- 3. Are Choices "Rational" When Social Capital Is Important? -- II. The Formation of Social Capital -- 4....

"As an economist and a public intellectual, Gary Becker was a giant. He won a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in human capital, the John Bates Clark Medal as the best American economist under 40, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to public life and welfare. He...