US is becoming a ‘developing country’ on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 11:44:51 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/us-is-becoming-a-developing-country-on-global-rankings-that-measure-democracy-inequality-190486>

"The United States may regard itself as a “leader of the free world,” but an
index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down
the list.

In its global rankings, the United Nations Office of Sustainable Development
dropped the U.S. to 41st worldwide, down from its previous ranking of 32nd.
Under this methodology – an expansive model of 17 categories, or “goals,” many
of them focused on the environment and equity – the U.S. ranks between Cuba and
Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries.

The U.S. is also now considered a “flawed democracy,” according to The
Economist’s democracy index.

As a political historian who studies U.S. institutional development, I
recognize these dismal ratings as the inevitable result of two problems. Racism
has cheated many Americans out of the health care, education, economic security
and environment they deserve. At the same time, as threats to democracy become
more serious, a devotion to “American exceptionalism” keeps the country from
candid appraisals and course corrections."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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