U.S. slips in global development

The reasons are obvious but the attractions are glaring. Despite the domestic and often fear-driven health care debate in Washington, let's look at health care in the U.S. In the United States, the per capita health expenditure is US$3,074; higher than in all one of the top ten counties except Norway. In Canada spending is US$2,585 and in Britain US$2,434. In contrast, per capita health care spending stands at US$404 in Russia, US$327 in Mexico, US$137 in Nicaragua, US$44 in Indonesia, and US$8 in Pakistan.

Moreover the U.S. allocates 19 percent of its budget to health care as compared with 13.4 percent in Sweden or 16.5 percent in the United Kingdom.

The educational opportunities are no less narrow between the developed and developing worlds. Looking at the wider educational opportunities, developed countries naturally serve as a magnet. The report adds, that in many cities, the children of migrants make up a significant part of the students; “in Brussels they represent over 40 percent of the school age population, while in New York they are half and in Los Angeles county almost two-thirds.”

But going beyond the plethora of statistics, there are philosophical reasons for success in developed states. The bigger picture reveals that nearly all the successful top-tier countries have a common thread of political democracy, the rule of law, and largely market economies which noticeably contrast with the statism and socialism often found in the developing world. The key ingredient in the mix remains, not only hard work, but liberty.

John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He can be reached at: jjmcolumn@att.net

1|2

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email