Recently, I was looking at a report highlighting the GNP (Gross National Product) per capita of different nations, one of the key measures of economic prosperity. I began thinking about why some nations were able to progress to the top of the list, while others remained at the bottom?
Before attempting to answer this difficult question let me first point out that only few countries in the world have GNPs above $20,000 per capita.
Most of these nations are in the so-called “developed world”. Only three Arab countries have high per capita GNPs and could make it on to the “A” list. Kuwait, UAE, and Qatar are the Arab GNP stars. Countries whose GNP per capita is below $2,000 include many countries in the developing world. Let’s call this the “Z” list.
But, back to our question. Why have some nations been able to reach the “A” list and others continue to struggle at the bottom of the GNP ladder? It is definitely not a specific language, religion, ethnicity or a physical location that makes some people prosper. Also, prosperity has nothing to do with the size of a country or the age of its civilization. Countries such as Canada and Australia, which are considered young, have been able to supersede others that have “richer” civilizations.
So, is it the availability of natural resources that gives nations economic power? Of course it is a factor, but is not the deciding factor. Switzerland, which has one of the highest GNP per capita ($45,000), for example, does not grow cocoa, but makes the world’s finest chocolate.
Colombia on the other hand, which produces cocoa and exports it to Switzerland, has a low GNP. Furthermore, there are some oil producing countries whose GNP per capita has dropped significantly because the price of oil did not grow in the same proportion as population.
I realize that there are many factors that contribute to human misery or progress. I also understand that the majority of Arab countries have suffered from injustice and colonialism.
But, I would like to emphasize that the human element factors large in whether nations prosper or fail. It is really the attitudes that people embrace that either hold them back or make them prosperous. Attitude, outlook, mindset and thoughts are the most crucial contributing factors that either lead to the progress or retreat of people and nations.
The United Nation’s sponsored “Arab Human Development Report” for 2002 says “a key driver of change in Arab countries would be a transformation in attitudes and social incentives to greater creativity and innovation.”
In other words, the way forward for progress involves tackling human capabilities/knowledge as well as attitudes as a first priority.
So, what are some of the common attitudes observed in people in those lists? One key observation is that most nations in the “A” list have some kind of personal freedom that is guaranteed to all their citizens. On the other hand, citizens in the “Z” list usually suffer from lack of personal freedom, which limits the utilization of their intellectual abilities for their benefit and consequently that of society.
The United Nations report also discussed the level of freedom in Arab countries. It concluded that “Arab countries had the lowest freedom score in the freedom index, and that the Arab region has the lowest value of all regions of the world for voice and accountability.”
But there are also other important human attributes and attitudes. Those in the “A” list do not act out of emotions alone. This is usually reserved for Arabs. Remember how Japan after World War II was able to conduct sincere soul searching, learn from its past mistakes and was able to deal with old foes, turning them into allies for their own benefit?
Moreover, citizens of nations in the “A” list typically have a sense of responsibility toward society and oneself.
They put high value on productivity at workplace and have little tolerance for corruption.
In fact, there is a clear link between the progress of nations and their tolerance of corruption. Corruption removes the incentive for people to work hard and also subtracts from a nation’s GNP, in real terms, without providing meaningful work output that is necessary for economic prosperity.
People can start to change their destiny by adjusting their attitudes and learning from history and the successes of others. This will eventually translate into progress and prosperity.
I admit that GNP is mainly an economic indicator. However, unless nations can convert their intellectual and cultural abilities into prosperity for their people, they will continue to be “nations of dreams” rather than “dream of nations.”
(Fuad Al-Zayer is a Saudi writer. He is based in Dhahran. E-mail: [email protected].)
