Another Way to Rank
The other day, I posted the results of a relatively well-respected global productivity ranking that showed, in essence, that the US still wasn't doing all that bad. Well, today, I stand corrected, because the Chinese Academy of Sciences has come out with a new ranking of counties, the Health of Nations report, that puts us right back in the middle of the pack (via WSJ's China Journal):
Overall, the CAS ranked China 13th, two spots below the U.S., and keeping company with developed nations such as Japan, Germany and the U.K. In terms of “immunity,” which is based on natural resources, economic well-being and social cohesiveness, China came in third, after the very resource-rich Australia and Canada. China got a surprisingly high ranking on “national responsibility,” which factors in efforts at disarmament, poverty elimination, and environmental protection, among other things. China claimed the top spot as the most responsible nation, ahead of Mexico and Brazil, while the U.S. came in dead last in that category
Ah yes, I'd forgotten how responsible China has been in international affairs. Nevermind it's obstruction of UN Security Council action in Burma, Sudan, and Iran, and blind indifference to the development effects of its economic expansion into Africa - the nation does at least stand up, on firm principle, for the legal rights of odious despots to do whatever they want within their own borders.
(Yes, I've already argued that China has actually been surprisingly helpful in all of these issues, and I still believe that - but the government can really only be judged responsible relative to its own prior behavior. If other countries are the benchmarks, it still has a ways to go.)
The most interesting part of the report to me, though, is the widespread ridicule it's met with in the Chinese media:
On a discussion forum on Netease, one commenter using the name “From Mars” wrote: “Yes, China’s pretty healthy, it’s just that our babies have some kidney stones.”
The timing of the report, during the week when Nobel prizes are announced, is also inspiring jeers towards the state scientific research institution.
Blogger Wuyusanren had this to say in a post titled, “The Stupid Report Will Shine forever” (here in Chinese):
“I have no idea about the criteria those goofy scientists used to create the national responsibility list. As a common person, however, I sense that if a nation is not even able to provide its people with safe food or protect their basic rights, there’s no point in talking about national responsibility.”
That's the kind of healthy, biting sarcasm that most other developed countries subject their governments (which are all prone to stupid public relations exercises) on a regular basis. The fact that it's not only evident, but thriving in China, is a good sign indeed, "goofy scientists" notwithstanding.
