Marc Miringoff, 58; Created Index of U.S. Social Health
Marc Miringoff, 58, a Fordham University educator who created an index that promoted understanding of the nation’s social health, died Thursday at his home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., of undetermined causes.
An associate professor of social policy, Miringoff was founder of the Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy. He became known for his development of a report card that measured the national welfare.
His argument that growth, inflation, interest rates and other economic variables could not put the national well-being into proper perspective led to his compiling of the index. His table included information about child poverty, infant mortality, crime, access to healthcare and deaths related to drunk driving.
The social index dropped from a high of 77 out of 100 in 1973 to 38 out of 100 in 1993. Since that time, the nation has made progress, according to the index, rising to 54 in 2000 but dropping again to 46 in 2001.
Born in Brooklyn, Miringoff earned degrees from the State University of New York at Albany, Rutgers University and the University of Chicago.
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