Singapore did exactly this under Lee Kuan Yew, and transformed itself from essentially a wasteland into one of the top countries in the world both in economic a

Singapore did exactly this under Lee Kuan Yew, and transformed itself from essentially a wasteland into one of the top countries in the world both in economic and quality-of-life terms. In the opinion of many (though of course not all) who went through that difficult transition, yes, it was more than worth it.