How the United States became a ‘second-tier’ country

A deep-seated sense of exceptionalism remains a fundamental part of America’s collective psyche.

And in some ways, such as Americans’ access to higher education, the country remains an undeniably exceptional nation when compared with its global counterparts, according to the latest edition of the Social Progress Imperative, a U.S.-based nonprofit that produces an annual index ranking 128 countries by their social and environmental standing.