Ireland’s high ranking on the UNDP Human Development Index attracted relatively little attention in the press, whose focus is understandably on gloomier matters.
I am sure readers of this Blog will find much to discuss in the Report.
Ireland’s high ranking on the UNDP Human Development Index attracted relatively little attention in the press, whose focus is understandably on gloomier matters.
I am sure readers of this Blog will find much to discuss in the Report.
15 replies on “UNDP Human Development Index”
The UN HDI. And here I was thinking this was a serious economics blog.
Its probably our bountiful cheese industry that keeps us vital.
I am sure that the Minister’s recent cheese giveaway pushed us up the charts…
Once basic human needs are met, if economics practitioners wish to stay relevant, then supplying or discussing how to etc., the higher needs is appropriate.
What are these higher needs? Maslow?
To help this process, all school children at various stages of development are tested but should be entrusted with the information ascertained in a child friendly fashion. They should be able to discuss their needs freely and a vocabulary given to them for this end. In all societies.
The table got some play in Australia.
Summary treatment only.
The UK position seems low, but I have lost contact with my birthplace. The US position seems high. Bush pushed the subprime into home ownership. Will they get to keep their homes? Weird possibilities on mortgages at the moment. Trapping students into sociology degrees for $100,000 debt seems like slavery at a time of depression but historically, any third level degree ranks highly.
It was noted that Nepal had jumped a lot in the press coverage. triking that the South/Central American countries perform so badly. Labour not allowed to organize by the USA? Sad.
Striking
Criticism – Old Data
According to the UN Irelands unemployment rate is 6%, this is because they are using 2008 data.
Norway is undoubtedly in a special position including its $520bn wealth fund.
Ireland is still fine for the rich and possibly most public sector workers and retirees on public sector pensions.
For those in secure employment, it’s simply impossible to appreciate the sense of fear of insecurity of employment in the modern money economy.
Inevitably, there are some factors, which impact quality of life, that cannot be measured. For example the fact that the majority of Irish private sector workers have no occupational pension, while public sector workers have one of the best in the work – – linked to current pay changes.
Last February, Rossa White, then chief economist at Davy Stockbrokers, said that the best way to compare the wealth of countries probably is to look at the capital stock.
He said years of high income can be turned into physical wealth if invested properly and he compared three small nations as an example: Belgium, Finland and Ireland.
White said the three are closely matched in the Eurozone income per capita table, albeit that Ireland slipped behind in 2009. But no Irish resident who has visited Belgium or Finland would have the audacity to claim that this country is wealthier. Transport infrastructure is vastly superior in those countries, as is the telecommunications network, and public services are delivered from higher-spec schools and hospitals.
SEE: Davy says Ireland was never a wealthy country; High income in 2000-2008 largely wasted
Beats talking about the misery index I suppose.
Great sensayuma there at the Untied Nations. What are they smoking?
Greece (22) ahead of Luxembourg (24)?
Qatar (38) ahead of Portugal (40)?
Cut-off-their-goolies Saudi Arabia (55) ahead of Bulgaria (58)?
That would suggest low-grade marijuana.
But HOLY MOTHER OIRLAND AT POSITION 5!?!
No, it must be that hydroponic stuff with extra potency ….
And the only reason we have good roads is because it suits the parish pump model. Anything else in the wider national interest, is of no interest, as it never got votes. A minister would rather open a motorway and hand out cash to farmers (constituents) than tell Mrs. Smith she can now get 100Meg broadband for €20 a month.
‘Sure broadband, what do we need that for, I know, let’s sell the infrastructure we do have so it can be asset stripped (3/4 times) and convert the tax payers to shareholders, so they can pay for the company twice’
@ Celtic Phoenix
It’s a struggle to be an optimist.
Motorways are built without service areas and now the money isn’t there to build them
So a motorist could travel on modern motorways from Dundalk to Dunkettle [near Cork city] without encountering a petrol station!
The oddest thing about it all is that Brayruit is highlighted in the UN’s Ireland map for some reason, as if its a city in its own right. I can’t take it seriously for that reason alone… 😛
You could never have travelled from Dundalk to Dunkettle without encounting a petrol station unless you somehow avoided the Naas Road and of late you’d have to avoid the two service stations on the M1 as well.
The motorways met a public demand that went beyond giving money to farmers. I fully agree about the broadband, but this is typical of a country where people seem able to propose special taxes on text messages with a straight face. Fortunately, broadband is the easiest one to fix as the techologies have a short half life, much less than roads, sewers etc.
Fair enough, I obviously went a bit OTT on the ‘money to farmers’ comment. However, if anything we have too many new roads and not enough up keep of our existing infrastructure. Again, shiney and new is better for votes.
And on broadband. Why wasnt it a requirement for developers to wire new housing estates and apartment blocks with fiber? Something that simple would have meant about one third of our housing stock would now be wired for proper ‘smart/knowledge economy’ broadband. Basic stuff.
@ All
Can someone answer this. There have been a few reports on our national savings rate as a percentage of income. Its along the lines of 13%. where as the average european rate is often quoted as 20%.
Am I missing something? Those figures would lead one to believe that our savings rate hasnt even reached the european average yet. Meaning, of course, little potential for consumer spending getting us out of the poo.
I am surprise nobody has spotted the obvious demonstrable flaw in these types of subjective “rankings”.
What do those people partaking of the current collective net migration from Ireland not understand about “human development rankings” that leads them to flea the “fifth best place in the world to live”????
Silly people.