The goodness of nations

By L.P., R.L.W. and K.N.C.

A new index ranks national decency

SEEN from space, our pale blue dot of a planet is a borderless sphere floating amid the stars. But worldly men know better: the land is carved up into countries. Borders divide us; they encourage us to seek our self-interest rather than reach for a common, planetary solidarity. But the Good Country Index, released on June 24th by Simon Anholt, an independent policy advisor, aims to overcome this. It ranks countries based on how much they do for others globally. Ireland and Finland come on top; Libya is rock bottom. The measure is based on 35 datasets broken down into seven areas, such as technology, health and culture. The idea is clever but the execution is tricky. The index often scales countries on a GDP basis to give poor countries a chance against rich ones. That's nice, but is Cyprus really a tech leader or Malta a cultural paragon? And the "peace and security" area is flawed: it penalises countries involved in armed conflicts abroad or that sell arms. Couldn't one argue that this fosters a stable world? Still, the index is a worthwhile pursuit by imagining how countries might compete when they aim to serve others.