A sufficient fraction of the population who practices honesty and the Golden Rule, which go a long way. One thing that helps with that is to really believe tha

A sufficient fraction of the population who practices honesty and the Golden Rule, which go a long way. One thing that helps with that is to really believe that we are and will be accountable to God, i.e., so that even when no one is watching, doing the honest and kind thing matters to oneself and one's own self-respect. Without this sufficient fraction of the population, it will be very hard to maintain the rule of law anywhere, I think. Also very important, I think, are literacy and education in general, which is more available than ever before (see for example other discussion around WGU and BYU Pathway Worldwide, like at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31180816 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31180816 or in wikipedia). They are accredited, online, and tuition at least for BYU Pathway Worldwide is vastly lower for students in poor countries, with support system etc etc, even if one doesn't yet know English. There are just so many opportunities, if we are willing to strive to be consistently honest and decent toward each other (...and of course, work and plan, as others point out in various ways...). edit: more at my web site (in profile, simple, skimmable, & nothing for sale). Thoughtful comments appreciated with any downvotes.