Ireland is the ‘goodest’ country in the world, according to a new survey which measures what 125 nations contribute to the planet and humanity.
The UK made it to the seventh place in the overall index but was crowned as the best country in the world for its contribution in terms of technology and science.
The Good Country Index, conceived by policy adviser Simon Anholt, analyses 35 different types of data from the UN, the World Bank and other international organisations and NGOs.
This includes information such as freedom of the press, the number of refugees hosted, the amount of weapons exported and the number of Nobel Prize winners. This it the first time the Index is published.
Countries are then ranked according to their contribution to science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, the planet and climate, prosperity and equality, and the health and well-being of humanity.
Maybe unsurprisingly, Iraq, Libya and Vietnam were the countries which contributed least to the global good.
Ireland the goodest
Ireland the goodest
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Ireland the goodest
Just as well they didn't ask about the amount of weapons imported...
Why is it that when Miley Cyrus gets naked and licks a hammer it's 'art' and 'edgy' but when I do it I'm 'drunk' and 'banned from the hardware store'?
Re: Ireland the goodest
You mean North Korea finished ahead of them?Maybe unsurprisingly, Iraq, Libya and Vietnam were the countries which contributed least to the global good.
Oh, yeah, must be that really small "carbon footprint":
North Korea leads the world in the fight against climate change...
Re: Ireland the goodest
Why would Vietnam rank lower than North Korea? 
eta: After visiting the website http://www.goodcountry.org, I think the methodology and approach is suspect. Focusing on a country's impact on the globe whilst to a large degree ignoring the horrors of say, genocide going on internally to that country doesn't make sense to me - and their official response to that 'FAQ' is unsatisfying.
I dunno, to rank places like North Korea, Sudan and Nigeria ahead of someplace like Vietnam in a category labeled 'health & well-being' is an insult to the people being starved and slaughtered in those countries. Who expects them to care about whether their country contributes positively to global health & well-being as they struggle to survive?
eta: After visiting the website http://www.goodcountry.org, I think the methodology and approach is suspect. Focusing on a country's impact on the globe whilst to a large degree ignoring the horrors of say, genocide going on internally to that country doesn't make sense to me - and their official response to that 'FAQ' is unsatisfying.
I dunno, to rank places like North Korea, Sudan and Nigeria ahead of someplace like Vietnam in a category labeled 'health & well-being' is an insult to the people being starved and slaughtered in those countries. Who expects them to care about whether their country contributes positively to global health & well-being as they struggle to survive?
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan