Good Country Index: Ghana

In my continued search to understand and appreciate the factors surrounding the current world we live in, the programs that guide it (e.g. globalization, capitalism, socialism, economic clubs etc)...

In my continued search to understand and appreciate the factors surrounding the current world we live in, the programs that guide it (e.g. globalization, capitalism, socialism, economic clubs etc) I came across an interesting site that is based on the work of Simon Anholt and co. It’s intriguing and yet fascinating the findings in there, but more so the application relevancy of these findings to good governance, and how to relate them to structures and policies we as a people should be demanding of those we choose to lead us.

I continue to ask myself the question, that will the world be a better place one day when its global citizens invoke a new measure of globalization? Will a time come, where through our collective effort we look beyond our own “selfish” propensities and seek a new day of hand-in-hand living. Will there be a time when balance of give-and-take iron out a lot of the gross imbalances in trade and commerce? This quest brought me to a website that digs into another dimension of  thought on what makes a country good.

In understanding the thinking of the work put in by the Simon Anholt and Robert Govers, the authors of this good-country  study, I got curious as to where Ghana places. But what essentially jumped at me was a lack of a certain factor which has been inadvertently missing and continues to be overlooked even in this new age. Take a look and judge for yourself.

Ghana Vs. Kenya on the Good country ranking

About the Good Country Index:

The idea of the Good Country Index is pretty simple: to measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away. Using a wide range of data from the U.N. and other international organisations, we’ve given each country a balance-sheet to show at a glance whether it’s a net creditor to mankind, a burden on the planet, or something in between.

It’s important to explain that we are not making any moral judgments about countries. What I mean by a Good Country is something much simpler: it’s a country that contributes to the greater good.

The Good Country Index is one of a series of projects I’ll be launching over the coming months and years to start a global debate about what countries are really for. Do they exist purely to serve the interests of their own politicians, businesses and citizens, or are they actively working for all of humanity and the whole planet? The debate is a critical one, because if the first answer is the correct one, we’re all in deep trouble.

The Good Country Index doesn’t measure what countries do at home: not because I think these things don’t matter, of course, but because there are plenty of surveys that already do that. What the Index does aim to do is to start a global discussion about how countries can balance their duty to their own citizens with their responsibility to the wider world, because this is essential for the future of humanity and the health of our planet. I hope that looking at these results will encourage you to take part in that discussion.

Today as never before, we desperately need a world made of good countries. We will only get them by demanding them: from our leaders, our companies, our societies, and of course from ourselves. Simon Anholt

 

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