Is the US still the best country to be in?
the economist released this new study today that listed the best countries to be born in in regards to living qualities
the economist released this new study today that listed the best countries to be born in in regards to living qualities
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/01/daily-chart?fsrc=s…
the US topped the list in 1998 but fell all the way down to 16 in 2013., having countries like australia, singapore, hong kong, taiwan, austria ahead of it. I immigrated to the US in 2001 and I'm now a college student at a top 20 university. it's hard for me to imagine those countries are ahead when so many people are still trying to come here due to our higher education and job opportunities.
thoughts?
Let me put it to you this way:
I am from a country in SE Asia, and went to HS there. The best students in the country apply to come to the United States, leaving Europe, Australia et all for the less talented students, and the better students who can't get into US colleges.
These rankings are all bullshit. Ask a poor valedictorian kid anywhere from Vietnam to Nigeria where do they want to go, and the single answer is the United States.
Maybe if you are not ambitious, and want to have a safe and comfortable life, then you can go to all these higher ranked countries. But for those with a raw desire to move ahead in life, the US is only game in town. Just ask me. (Although I have not achieved anything yet!)
singapore?
also if anyone can answer this question for me that'd be greatly appreciated. how do the best schools in those countries such as university of HK, national university of singapore, HKUST, peking U, etc. stack up against non-ivy top 20s such as vanderbilt, notre dame, georgetown, rice, etc?
The Malaysia merger experiment was very interesting for Singapore. I have never lived in Singapore or Malaysia, but it would be interesting to ask if it would be worth trying again.
In the Malthusian worldview, the US will always be near the top in terms of affluence due to its resource/food production vs. population. More resources and better technology with fewer people, especially in a world flush with capital, means greater affluence and a higher cost of labor.
have you ever heard of this place called London (aka the financial capital of the world)?
Also as an EM national your only game in town should be your home country as there is infinitely more money to be made in EMs than in developed markets if you are a local.
The US is the most politically (and militarily) stable of the capitalist countries in the top twenty on that list.
The four countries more capitalist than the US on that list are tax-haven city states.
I mean, you could go and work in the UAE if you really wanted to, but autocracies have their issues...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-10/jailed-in-dubai-accused-wait-l… http://www.totalbankruptcy.com/news/articles/legislation/bankruptcy-a-c… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/dubai-has-always-been-ban_b_3…
Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are a little better, but they are tiny island nations with no resources, which is what the 21st century could very well be about.
If that really is the case, Canada and Brazil could be two of the best countries to live in of the 21st century. Same with Argentina, South Africa, and Russia if they can figure out how to run moderately regulated capitalist democracies.
But the US will always be in the top five, maybe top ten, at least given current population and current resources.
U.S. will be the #1 forever, sorry commies
What impress me the most is The Economist has balls to list TaiWan as a country.
Seems like an apples to oranges comparison. The US population is almost DOUBLE the size of the top 15 of that list COMBINED. NYC is bigger than most of those countries and no where near as homogenous. That's why I see it hard to put Singapore as a better place to be then the entire United States of America. US citizens have the freedom to live in any of the major metropolitan areas and they stack up perfectly well with Hong Kong/Singapore/etc.
The US has the best educational institutions, the largest companies, and the strongest political system out there. The opportunities for personal growth and achievement are virtually endless.
[quote=Quaneaser]and the strongest political system out there. /quote]
That was a joke right?
Take a look at Singapore's government.
How are you measuring strength of government? Again as I already stated it would be hard to compare a tiny country to the US in terms of long term performance of its financial centers as well as government stability.
I doubt anyone who has answered so far has actually been to these countries ranked higher than the U.S. Of these ones ranked above the U.S., I've traveled or worked in 4: Australia, Singapore, Netherlands, and Hong Kong.
In terms of economic and political stability, as well as general quality of life, they all blow the U.S. out of the water. I will be returning to Singapore or Australia as soon as I can. Anyone who thinks the U.S. is still the best country in the world needs to go traveling and wake up the fuck up.
In some ways, the island looks like a tax haven. That's great, but if 8 billion people who all want to be middle class continue putting pressure on global resources, Singapore could find itself in trouble as the export walls start going up. From an economic (not cultural) standpoint, you guys really need to take another look at a merger with Malaysia. Both countries have modernized a lot over the past 45 years; I wonder if it could work this time, and it would leave Singapore in a less precarious resource situation.
I think Singapore will do well over the next half decade; maybe full decade. I think the 30-40 year outlook is a little more dubious. If Singapore were in Canada, I would probably agree with you.
Their natural resource is having the most private government in Asia and one of the most uncorrupt governments in the world. The stated long-term objective of the country is to become the "Switzerland" of Asia, providing a safe and private haven for the growing wealth of Asia.This economic model has served Switzerland well for hundreds of years.
IP -- What has gotten you on this Malthusian rampage lately? I mean, it's always a good thing to have resources, but seemingly, most of this guy's theories have been proven overly pessimistic many times. What makes you so confident it will be different going forward?
Look, the market does have 15-20 year cycles of resources vs. equities. Malthusians- as well as long-term equity bears have always said "But it's different this time!" My argument isn't based on equity returns but rather on the cost of resources vs the cost of labor, which most people seem to think won't go up in the west anytime soon.
If we approach a global price for labor, and if that labor begins to come within an order of the global price of food, it's in workers' (read: voters) best interests to lower the cost of grain at home and raise it abroad, which resource exporting countries have the ability to do via trade policy.
Most of these countries have fairly strong militaries, rendering war an unlikely choice for importers. Net resource importers won't have many alternatives besides conservation; I'm dubious about how effective that will actually be given how much resource prices have gone up. Thus the resource exporters keep the same strategy of making it more difficult to export and the resource importers cannot improve their strategy.
That's the Nash equilibrium I'm picking up on. I'm not saying we'll certainly get there; I'm saying it's possible and something people should probably just be aware of.
so from what i could gather....
singapore/hk/taiwan>america in terms of living quality but america>those countries in terms of higher education and work opportunities
The USA is the best place is you have a brain and know how to use it. It probably sucks for the lower half though.
As you make more money simply start hiding your assets and/or be prepared to renounce your citizenship. I see the USA going down the broken path of Europe and becoming more criminal with their theft from its citizens in the form of taxation.
Minimize your tax exposure, hide assets, do whatever to pay the least amount. You owe it to great Americans to fight against the robbery the Federal Government inflicts on its citizens.
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