5 ms·

Britain is world's 7th most stable and prosperous nation - US 22nd

1 points by gibsonf1 19y ago

pg 19y ago
Yet another GIGO ranking of nations according to arbitrary criteria. The flow of immigration between e.g. the US and the UK is the opposite of what this ranking predicts. Are they proposing the immigrants don't know enough to act in their own interest? In my experience, immigration patterns of educated workers are the best indication of all of what countries are desirable to live in. The costs of moving to a new country are so high that people have to be really sure before they'll do it. If people move to Silicon Valley despite the proliferation of small arms in the US or the flow of drugs from Mexico, it's not a sign that they're stupid, but that the weighting of components in this study was wrong.
- cperciva 19y ago
  If people move to Silicon Valley despite the proliferation of small arms in the US or the flow of drugs from Mexico, it's not a sign that they're stupid, but that the weighting of components in this study was wrong. ... or, more likely, that the people who move to Silicon Valley have different priorities from most people.
  - pg 19y ago
    We moved to Pittsburgh, and we weren't troubled by the proliferation of small arms or drugs from Mexico there either.
- david927 19y ago
  But that has to be offset by how easy it is to immigrate, and it is tremendously easier to immigrate to the US as opposed to most other industrialized countries. I also think this study is skewed but I wouldn't use immigration as a yard stick.
- hcho 19y ago
  Do you have numbers or is this just anectodal?
pixcavator 19y ago
"The top ten comprise also the Vatican, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands and the Irish Republic. " Nice list! They compare the Vatican to the US? It's a joke...
- cperciva 19y ago
  If you want a stable government, the Vatican is the place to be. About the only disadvantage it has in terms of governmental stability is that every head of state since it was formed in 1929 has died while in office. :-)

1 points by gibsonf1 19y ago

pg 19y ago

Yet another GIGO ranking of nations according to arbitrary criteria. The flow of immigration between e.g. the US and the UK is the opposite of what this ranking predicts. Are they proposing the immigrants don't know enough to act in their own interest? In my experience, immigration patterns of educated workers are the best indication of all of what countries are desirable to live in. The costs of moving to a new country are so high that people have to be really sure before they'll do it. If people move to Silicon Valley despite the proliferation of small arms in the US or the flow of drugs from Mexico, it's not a sign that they're stupid, but that the weighting of components in this study was wrong.

cperciva 19y ago
If people move to Silicon Valley despite the proliferation of small arms in the US or the flow of drugs from Mexico, it's not a sign that they're stupid, but that the weighting of components in this study was wrong. ... or, more likely, that the people who move to Silicon Valley have different priorities from most people.
- pg 19y ago
  We moved to Pittsburgh, and we weren't troubled by the proliferation of small arms or drugs from Mexico there either.
david927 19y ago
But that has to be offset by how easy it is to immigrate, and it is tremendously easier to immigrate to the US as opposed to most other industrialized countries. I also think this study is skewed but I wouldn't use immigration as a yard stick.
hcho 19y ago
Do you have numbers or is this just anectodal?

pixcavator 19y ago

"The top ten comprise also the Vatican, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands and the Irish Republic. " Nice list! They compare the Vatican to the US? It's a joke...

cperciva 19y ago
If you want a stable government, the Vatican is the place to be. About the only disadvantage it has in terms of governmental stability is that every head of state since it was formed in 1929 has died while in office. :-)