In The Logic of Political Survival, these economists construct a metric of the Nasty/brutish/shortness of life in a country. Combining data on death rates, war, poverty, radios/capita, the generate what they call the Hobbes Index. Higher is better.
Africa has 25 of the bottom 36, (outside Africa we have Laos, Haiti, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Nepal, among others).
Top and Bottom 10 Countries:
| Top Countries | Hobbes Index | Bottom Countries | Hobbes Index |
| Japan | 92.7 | Angola | 13.0 |
| Iceland | 92.2 | Mozambique | 15.5 |
| Australia | 90.6 | Cambodia | 19.1 |
| Canada | 90.1 | Burundi | 22.8 |
| New Zealand | 88.8 | Rwanda | 23.6 |
| Switzlerland | 88.7 | Ethiopia | 23.8 |
| Netherlands | 88.4 | Chad | 24.2 |
| USA | 86.8 | Uganda | 24.4 |
| Norway | 84.6 | Zaire | 26.6 |
| Denmark | 84.5 | Guinea-Bissau | 26.8 |
Africa has 25 of the bottom 36, (outside Africa we have Laos, Haiti, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Nepal, among others).
HedgeFundGuy - am 2006-10-31 01:51
