ABSTRACT
Untilnowwehavedefinedwell-beingintermsofresources:income,earnings,wealth,andsoon.WehavefoundthattheresourcesofAmericanfam-ilieshave,onthewhole,grownslowlysince1979 andhavebecomemuchmoreunequallydistributed.Inthis chapter,weexaminewell-beingintermsofwhatthese resourcesbuy.Inparticular,weconsideraccesstothree basicgoods:housing,healthcare,andeducation.These threegoodsarecrucialtofamilywell-beingand,inthecase ofeducation,tocreatingequalopportunityfornewgenerations.Wefindthat,becausethecostsofthesegoodshave soared,fewercanaffordthem,andthegapshavegrown betweenthosewhocanandthosewhocannot.
