Luney Tune on 23 May 2009
You're grasping at straws.
Look only at the developed "white" countries. The top of the list is still dominated by "socialist" welfare states (Scandinavia, Netherlands) while the more conservative nations (USA, UK) are found near the bottom of the list.
Public welfare has been around in one form or another since the birth of industrialism in north-western Europe in the 17th century. It's been more than 300 years. If public welfare didn't benefit industrialized/developed societies, but rather harmed them, the HDI index would have looked very different.
More than 200 years ago Adam Smith warned against the "dangers of the welfare state". Isn't it time to admit that he was wrong ?
