ACM has long argued that on any well known measure of the best places to live in, constitutional monarchies ( or crowned republics) are always clustered towards the top. The recent report on the best countries for mothers to live in was just one more piece of compelling evidence.
Now a republican – courageously publishing under the pseudonym "Publius" – claims, on a republican site owned by and managed by the ARM’s media director, that I have “merely cherry-picked statistics in which monarchies appear to outperform republics”.
He then refers to a number of indices where he suggests monarchies do not do so well.
Well, let’s look at these, ignoring lists giving no more than a purely subjective judgement, for example, coffee table indices about the most livable cities.
On each I shall refer to two statistics.
The first is the the number of constitutional monarchies in the best ten countries. If there are more than 1.5, then constitutional monarchies are over represented. That is there are more of them than there should be.
The second statistic is the number of constitutional monarchies out of the best 20. If there are more than three, constitutional monarchies are again over represented.
And if constitutional monarchies are over represented, republics ( that is politicians' republics) are therefore under represented. With the other historical evidence which I mention briefly below, the case for retaining constitutional monarchies is overwhelming.
…indices chosen by republican "Publius"…
Remember , if the numbers are above 1.5 out of the ten best performing countries and 3 out of the twenty respectively, constitutional monarchies are outperforming republics. This is because constiutional monarchies make up around 15% of the countries in the world.
The twentieth century decline in the number of constitutional monarchies coincided wth the decline of liberal democracy and the rise of fascism, communism and authoritarian government.
The latest indices which readily reveal the best twenty performing countries, and the conclusion on each follow:
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Global innovation Index: 7, 8 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Programme for International Student Assessment – Maths:3,10 (ie.,substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Programme for International Student Assessment – Science: 3, 9 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Programme for International Student Assessment – Reading: 5, 9 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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UN Infant Mortality Index: 3, 9 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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CIA Infant Mortality Index: 3, 7 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Index of Economic Freedom: 4 possibly 5, 9 (ie., substantial over performance byf constitutional monarchies)
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List of countries by Per Capita Income: 4, 7 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Gender Gap Index: 5, 10 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Press Freedom Index: 4, 9 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Global Integrity Index: 2, 3 (ie., over performance by constitutional monarchies in the first five, level in the first twenty)
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Bribe Payers Index: 7, 7 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Economists's Democracy Index: 8, 11 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
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Legatum Prosperity Index: 7, 9 (ie., substantial over performance by constitutional monarchies)
….monarchies outshine republics in every index but one half of one where they are level with republics …
(Continued below)
In thirteen indices constitutional monarchies are over represented and republics are under represented. In one they are partially over represented and peg level as to half of that one index.
Our republican concludes “…by reminding all that correlation does not equal causation and for every index that is pro-monarchy, there is one that is pro-Republic.”
Well as you can see there is no index in which (politicians') republics perform better. Not one, Publius, not one.
On every index he cites but half of one, constitutional monarchies are over represented and republics are under represented.
…knowing history…
Then he says that “ to all people who know their history, when one thinks of the endurance of a country over many centuries one thinks of a handful of countries: San Marino (republic), Switzerland (republic), the United States (republic) and Norway (a constitutional monarchy).”
This is a curious choice. Norway separated from Sweden in 1905. The microstate San Marino was under fascist rule between 1923 to close to the end of the Second World War and then endured fourteen years of communist rule. The United States was born in good part to preserve slavery and to permit the extension of the thirteen white colonies into what King George III had in his Great Proclamation reserved forever to the Indian Nations. And both Switzerland and the United States were to know civil wars in the nineteenth century.
The evidence is that constitutional monarchy is the only constitutional model to have been imported and to have been a success over an extended period. The end of constitutional monarchy has often been followed by an inferior model of government, and too often, dictatorship.
The oldest continuing democracies are seven – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Five are constitutional monarchies, Elizabeth II being Queen of four.
…evidence overwhelming…
I confidently repeat ACM's claim – on any well known measure, especially the UN HDI, constitutional monarchies out perform republics.
The evidence in favour of the superior performance of constitutional is my dear Publius, overwhelming.