The Most Generous Countries On Earth

The United States is the fifth most-generous country on earth, tied with Switzerland, according to a new ranking from Gallup’s World Giving Index.
The index is based on surveys and other research on 153 different countries, which together constitute about 95 percent of the world’s population. The survey asks in part about charitable behavior, including donations, volunteering habits and taking time to help strangers. Based on this index, Australia and New Zealand are tied as the most-generous nations on earth.

The top 21 most-generous countries, in order, are:

1. Australia
1. New Zealand
3. Ireland
3. Canada
5. Switzerland
5. United States
7. Netherlands
8. United Kingdom
8. Sri Lanka
10 Austria
11. Lao People’s Democratic Republic
11. Sierra Leone
13. Malta
14. Iceland
14. Turkmenistan
16. Guyana
16. Qatar
18. Hong Kong
18. Germany
18. Denmark
18. Guinea

Gallup’s analysis of the data found that giving money is more strongly correlated with happiness than with a nation’s gross domestic product. ”
“It would be reasonable to conclude that giving is more an emotional act than a rational one,” the report says.
Among the other findings, age and gender affected generous behaviors. Globally, giving money to charity increases with age, largely explained by changes in disposable income. Women are generally more likely to give than men, but only just barely – 30 percent versus 29 percent.
Click on the title above to access the full report.

Because Every Country Is The Best At Something | Diigo

Because Every Country Is The Best At Something | Diigo

How Much Would Your Social Conscience Allow You To Pay?

In a previous post I offered an article describing the race to the bottom for wages in the garment industry. This article describes an unusual factory in the Dominican Republic that is bucking the trend and paying a living wage to its workers while freely allowing for unions. The factory makes t-shirts and sweatshirts for over 400 colleges and universities in the U.S., but because of higher labor costs has to charge a premium price for their garments. Many universities have grown uncomfortable with the knowledge that their items are produced in what are perceived to be "sweatshop" conditions. Thus, they applaud the efforts occurring in the Dominican. Many consumers might consider paying extra to support these fair labor practices, but how often does one know the origin of the product? Without effective marketing, many consumers may pass over the unfamiliar brand for the more recognizable logos. Thus, some see this as a noble experiment that will eventually fail. Meanwhile, many garment workers are realizing lifestyles they never thought imaginable.

Free Speech As An Economic Stimulant

Iceland was one of the major victims of the 2007-08 global financial crisis betting the proverbial farm on the derivatives market and losing badly. Now, in an attempt to remake itself, the country's Parliament is proposing sweeping reforms to establish a safe haven for free speech in an attempt to draw the world's media organizations to headquarter in this tiny island nation. The legislation known as the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative is meant to attract organizations into publishing online from Iceland, by adopting the strongest press and source protection laws from around the world. This could be especially debilitating to Britain where the laws make it quite easy to bring suit against journalists and publications.

Race To The Bottom

It has often been referred to as "the race to the bottom", the constant pursuit of lower labor costs throughout the world especially in the textile industry. The southeastern U.S. was at one point the epicenter of cheap clothing and towels. Following WWII, many of those jobs migrated to the lower cost labor pool in a recovering Japan. In more recent years, the opportunities have been more profitable in China. Now pressure in Chinese labor markets has created an opening for workers in Bangladesh who are willing to part with their labor for less. History will chase those jobs away eventually, but Chinese textile workers are now beginning to understand the feelings their brothers in the Carolinas felt not too long ago.

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Paul Krugman bemoans the movement toward austerity among the world's legislators before the global economy recovers.

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Did You Know?

World Human Migration (video)

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The World In A T-Shirt (podcasts)

Below you will find three podcasts from an NPR series on trade and globalization. They correspond with the 2005 book Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy.

Fertility and living standards: Go forth and multiply a lot less | The Economist

Fertility and living standards: Go forth and multiply a lot less | The Economist