Lots of Asian countries have a high standard of living too. One of the biggest differences is functioning institutions. As bad as some first world governments

Lots of Asian countries have a high standard of living too. One of the biggest differences is functioning institutions. As bad as some first world governments can seem from our perspective, they’re way better than the kleptocrats and warlords who rule some parts of the world. And yeah, when you have functioning institutions, you do end up with smarter and more productive populations because children can go to school instead of slaving away in the cobalt mines.