Australia has topped the recently announced Legatum Prosperity Index, in which crowned republics, or constitutional monarchies, once again outperform politicians’ republics on any measure of well being. Whenever we made[i] this point in 1998 and 1999 during the referendum campaign, it was greeted with howls of derision by the supporters of the republican movement. Worse it was ignored, or shall we say, suppressed by the mainline media.
It was very much a newsworthy fact that crowned republics outperform politicians’ republics on most measures of well being, including freedom, education, health, life expectancy, wealth, the distribution of wealth and low levels of corruption. It still is.
The fact is that there should be no more than four crowned republics in the top twenty in any such list. Invariably there are always more.
…world prosperity index…
In the overall Legatum country rankings, there are six crowned republics in the top twenty – outperforming politicians’ republics by 150%.
According to its designers, the Legatum Index produces a ranking based on the conditions that foster prosperity — that is, the factors that promote economic competitiveness and improved liveability in a given country.
They refer to these factors as drivers of prosperity and to those that impede prosperity, as restrainers. They say the Index endeavours to rank countries according to the strength of these drivers and restrainers, not according to simple measures of income and life satisfaction.
The Index is available on a quite splendid site, which offers various interactive tools to allow the visitor to understand the research undertaken. It is well worth a visit.
The Index aggregates a number of separate rankings. There are two in which governance is a factor. In each of these, crowned republics are again over represented in the top twenty.They are:
1. Invests productivity via good governance : 9/20, outperforming politicians’ republics by 225%.
2. Creates an environment of well being via good governance: 8/20, outperforming politicans’ republics by 200%.
In another two governance would appear to be relevant:
1. Fosters freedom via freedom of choice: 7/20, outperforming by 175%.
2. Fosters freedom via equality of opportunity:7:20, outperforming by 175%.
…trappist republicans remain silent…
As we said in 1998, there are good reasons for this correlation.
So how do republicans answer this? As with the details of the change they want, they remain silent.
They should be renamed the Trappist Republican Movement, but for the fact that they are so vocal about getting the taxpayers to do their work.