The first “Good Country” rankings system has just been released by Simon Anholt, taking into account various measured identifiers as to how socially responsible any specific nation is. The identifiers include Science and Technology, Culture, Peace and Security, World Order, Planet and Climate, Prosperity and Equality, Health and Well-being and are culled from research undertaken by institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations and so on. As the Index says, the intent is “to measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away.”
Asian nations ranked as follows:
China scored poorly on issues such as Prosperity & Equality, World Order and Environment, and middle ranked in science and technology and health. India rated well in health, culture and international security, yet poorly on world order, environment and equality.
Chris Devonshire-Ellis of Dezan Shira & Associates comments, “These rankings are always fun and can be useful indicators to some extent. They show that the developed nations lead the world, which is hardly surprising. What is interesting, however, are the generally low rankings of several of the ASEAN nations, showing these are still very much emerging economies and much work needs to be done in poverty alleviation, environment and health.”
Ireland topped the rankings, followed by Finland, Switzerland and Holland in the top four, while the United States ranked 21st.
Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email asia@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com.
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