What is a "successful society"? What makes a society “successful?” How do we identify, measure, and assess “success?” What data do we need and what data should we collect? And what data are we able to collect and compare? The answers to these questions are surprisingly complex and differ across the social sciences, political theory, philosophy, and law. This course invites students to engage with theories and ideals about societies while doing a deep dive into cross-national and sub-national data, exploring the trade-offs of different societal outcomes. Students will grapple with questions about health, crime, security, creativity, inequality, belonging, solidarity, and institutions.