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Increases in deaths of despair in the USA have been associated with economic conditions and drug availability. In the state of Illinois, deaths of despair represent a significant public health issue. This study aims to examine the relationship between county-level economic distress, drug availability and mortality from deaths of despair collectively and for each contributing cause of death individually in the state of Illinois to better understand drivers of mortality locally.

Two cross-sectional analyses were conducted for 2010–2014 and 2015–2019. Correlations, regression analyses and relative weight analyses were applied to assess the relationship between deaths of despair mortality rate and the individual variables.

Deaths of despair mortality collectively and for each cause of death individually increased significantly from 2010–2014 to 2015–2019 in Illinois. Suicide mortality was higher in rural counties and was related to economic distress, while drug poisoning and alcohol-related deaths were higher in urban counties and were related to drug availability indicators.

While all three causes of death increased in the state, suicide mortality was inversely related to deaths of despair mortality. This may be because of different individual risk factors in rural versus urban areas or issues with coding cause of death. The findings of this study point to a rising public health challenge of deaths of despair mortality, particularly from substance use, in urban counties and from suicide in rural counties.

The equation of unified knowledge says that S = f (A,P) which means that the practical solution to a given problem is a function of the existing, empirical, actual realities and the future, potential, best possible conditions of general stable equilibrium which both pure and practical reason, exhaustive in the Kantian sense, show as being within the realm of potential realities beyond any doubt. The first classical revolution in economic thinking, included in factor “P” of the equation, conceived the economic and financial problems in terms of a model of ideal conditions of stable equilibrium but neglected the full consideration of the existing, actual conditions. That is the main reason why, in the end, it failed. The second modern revolution, included in factor “A” of the equation, conceived the economic and financial problems in terms of the existing, actual conditions, usually in disequilibrium or unstable equilibrium (in case of stagnation) and neglected the sense of right direction expressed in factor “P” or the realization of general, stable equilibrium. That is the main reason why the modern revolution failed in the past and is failing in front of our eyes in the present. The equation of unified knowledge, perceived as a sui generis synthesis between classical and modern thinking has been applied rigorously and systematically in writing the enclosed American‐British economic, monetary, financial and social stabilization plans. In the final analysis, a new economic philosophy, based on a synthesis between classical and modern thinking, called here the new economics of unified knowledge, is applied to solve the malaise of the twentieth century which resulted from a confusion between thinking in terms of stable equilibrium on the one hand and disequilibrium or unstable equilibrium on the other.

This concluding chapter discusses how the unfurling of the Writers in the Schools (WITS) Collaborative took place against a backdrop of four pandemics: COVID-19, the movement against racial injustice, climate change, and the inevitable economic despair that spills over into the field of education. The work looks backwards on the chapters in this book and their findings. It also looks forward to the lessons that the WITS Collaborative has taught – and will teach – as it moves toward a future unknown, yet much anticipated.

Discussion of the 2016 electorate has centered on two poles: results of public opinion and voter surveys that attempt to tease out whether racial, cultural, or economic grievances were the prime drivers behind the Trump vote and analyses that tie major shifts in the political economy to consequential shifts in the voting behavior of certain demographic and geographic groups. Both approaches render invisible a major development since the 1970s that has been transforming the political, social, and economic landscape of wide swaths of people who do not reside in major urban areas or their prosperous suburban rings: the emergence and consolidation of the carceral state. This chapter sketches out some key contours of the carceral state that have been transforming the polity and economy for poor and working-class people, with a particular focus on rural areas and the declining Rust Belt. It is meant as a correction to the stilted portrait of these groups that congealed in the aftermath of the 2016 election, thanks to their pivotal contribution to Trump's victory. This chapter is not an alternative causal explanation that identifies the carceral state as the key factor in the 2016 election. Rather, it is a call to aggressively widen the analytical lens of studies of the carceral state, which have tended to focus on communities of color in urban areas.

A liberal, open, competitive, market‐oriented economy, with all its variations, is an eminently better strategy for economic progress than its alternative, the state‐managed economic system. This thesis is seemingly simple yet so complex for economic policymakers to understand.

The United States should take the lead in mobilizing the financial resources of the international community to support a new and radical approach to foreign aid for Islamic countries. This approach – a shift from large‐scale aid to the countries themselves or in the form of massive state‐controlled projects, both managed by central governments – to smaller, community‐directed initiatives across countries – can reap dramatic benefits. There is strong evidence to suggest that supporting communities in achieving their selfdescribed goals will help secure the economic future of Morocco and Jordan, which are entering into a free trade era with theWest, will help resolve the seemingly intractable Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, and significantly further the economic and political reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. As the local development process unfolds, it would marginalize secular and religious extremists, thereby strengthening international security. And by providing through this form of aid a vehicle for successful public diplomacy, the United States would foster an environment where mutual understanding on broader geopolitical issues is attainable. If realized, these profound benefits will be achieved by local communities creating prosperity through a pluralist democratic process. The United States and other nations should make funding of community‐initiated development in Islamic nations the highest priority, which can pave the way towards a new era of Islamic‐Western relations.

This study investigates the perceptions of Mexican and U.S. managers regarding NAFTA's implications. The results show that both groups agree on many of the issues which had shaped the public debate on NAFTA in the U.S. In particular, that NAFTA would lead to a loss of jobs in the U.S., increase jobs in Mexico, foster political stability in Mexico, and that it would have an adverse impact on the environment. However, the result also revealed a concern, only on the part of Mexican managers, regarding NAFTA's influence on culture and national identity. Implication of the results for future research is discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the idea of Action Research as a way of making academic research more relevant for social economic change.

This paper seeks a middle path by presenting a method for Action Research that is both scientific and that results in practical social-economic impact on a local society. The method is divided into 11 systematic steps.

The author has found that the method results in job creation and place-based economic development.

Usually social activists and academic professionals do not mix. This approach combines both theory and practice, which is unusual in university circles.