Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The World at a Glance

Wikipedia has a table containing a list of national superlatives. Here's highlights from the world:
Here's highlights from the United States:

6 comments:

  1. Cool! I wonder if Denmark's two are related.

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  2. I'm betting my most of political perspective on it.

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  3. Hm. Interesting since my understanding is free markets tend to widen the gap between the rich and poor in the long run, while simultaneously making everyone richer. Does this mean they possibly make people less satisfied with life as well?

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  4. Let me clarify my statement. I totally agree with your statement that free markets increase everyone's wealth while also increasing income inequality. I also agree that income inequality decreases satisfaction. You feel short in a room with NBA players, even if you're 6ft tall. So what I meant was that I support the free market, but I understand that most voters want some mix of regulation and market to ensure inequality doesn't get too large.

    Denmark is not that economically free. The US is ranked 5th in the world and Denmark is ranked 11th (improving over the last 10 years). They are $10,000 poorer than Americans, but the benefits of equality seem to be worth it.

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  5. Ergo, the free market makes people less satisfied with life. Interesting.

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  6. Sure there are some drawbacks to the free market (ie inequality), but the benefits clearly outweigh the costs. I'm sure there is a correlation between the economic freedom list and the life satisfaction list.

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You are the reason why I do not write privately. I would love to hear your thoughts, whether you agree or not.