Economic Freedom index: the US has dropped to number 25.
CMS drug negotiations: The private sector – without government intervention – negotiated drug savings that were more than triple the amount negotiated by the Biden Administration. Also, CMS, in showing off the results of its negotiations, calculated the discounted figures from the list prices of the 10 drugs, and not the prices at which they’re typically sold, which include rebates and discounts.
How birds know where to migrate: quantum mechanics.
What if, in the second half of the 20th century, there had been no decolonization? Argument: people living in the colonies would today be better off.
Decolonization: I took several classes on development economics in grad school. Most colonial independence parties are corrupt. Party elites believe they should run the government and profit off its revenue. Cronie capitalism is rampant. Government regulations take the form of rent-seeking to extract resources. Locals cannot trust the government not to steal the money meant for social services. Import taxes are high. Imports are often through a crony capitalist monopoly. Resources are often nationalized to benefit the elites. Party politics often follows tribal lines. Village and tribal leaders are often just as bad to their own tribe as national leaders are to citizens.
Question: why is this?
Answer: they never developed the social and political institutions developed in the West over 1,000 years.