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Mortality rates fell sharply for college-educated Americans in recent decades but not for other Americans. Mortality trends also differ sharply between rural and urban areas of the United States and across US counties. Steve asks Jonathan Skinner about these puzzling and troubling trends, and how to explain them. According to Jonathan’s recent research, “Deaths of despair,” “the China shock," obesity, and income inequality don’t explain the trends. Instead, the explanation turns on differences in smoking trends and the consequences for mortality.
Recorded on March 19, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Jonathan Skinner is a research professor in economics at Dartmouth College and a professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine. His research interests include measuring productivity and efficiency in health care, and the savings behavior of retirees. He directs the Aging Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He earned a PhD in Economics at UCLA.
- Visit Jonathan Skinner’s Website
Steven Davis is the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Hoover Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). He is a research associate of the NBER, IZA research fellow, elected fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He co-founded the Economic Policy Uncertainty project, the U.S. Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, the Global Survey of Working Arrangements, the Survey of Business Uncertainty, and the Stock Market Jumps project. He also co-organizes the Asian Monetary Policy Forum, held annually in Singapore. Before joining Hoover, Davis was on the faculty at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, serving as both distinguished service professor and deputy dean of the faculty.
RELATED SOURCES
- “Explaining The Widening Divides in US Midlife Mortality: Is There A Smoking Gun?” Christopher L. Foote, Ellen Meara, Jonathan S.Skinner, Luke R. Stewart, 2025.
- Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case and Angus Deaton, Princeton University Press, 2021.
- "The Opioid Epidemic and US Political Realignment," Economics, Applied, 9 July 2025. Guests: Carolina Arteaga and Victoria Barone.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Each episode of Economics, Applied, a video podcast series, features senior fellow Steven Davis in conversation with leaders and researchers about economic developments and their ramifications. The goal is to bring evidence and economic reasoning to the table, drawing lessons for individuals, organizations, and society. The podcast also aims to showcase the value of individual initiative, markets, the rule of law, and sound policy in fostering prosperity and security.
For more information, visit hoover.org/podcasts/economics-applied.
