Hacker News Reader

Comment by baddox | Hacker News Reader

> So are those countries that are lawless and violent that way because the citizens are just bad people?

No, it's probably because they have unproductive economies, which of course can be caused by numerous things.

You have it backwards. They have unproductive economies because they're lawless and violent. You can see it in the evolution of societies like Singapore or India.

I suspect the comorbidity rate is nearly 100%. I suppose when I say "an unproductive economy causes violence," what I mean is that it's a better idea to spend resources bootstrapping a sustainable productive economy than just trying to stop violence.

I assume you mean to use Singapore as an example of where strict laws and reduced violence have had a positive effect on development? As opposed to India?

I'm not talking about strict laws, just the rule of law. The supremacy of the state over any challengers. In both Singapore and India, strong, effective government has enabled economic development. Vis-a-vis India, it's government isn't as effective as those in the West, but it's an interesting reference point, because India has been much more successful than neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh. 100 years ago the wealth difference between the countries was nothing to speak of, but India has been more successful in developing its civil institutions and has been rewarded for that success economically.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com