Plotting GDP per capita versus oil consumption per capita shows how much wealth is being created in different countries, and the efficiency with which they do so. It is interesting that almost all countries plot below an "efficient frontier" indicating a ratio of productivity to oil use. Despite major efforts in some countries (think about the number of bicycles in Holland) few countries are more than marginally more efficient at using energy than the United States.
Wonk: An overly studious person, an intellectual, a nerd with a keen interest in policies, strategy, and technical details._________________ Wonky: Crooked, off-center, askew, unsteady, shaky, not functioning correctly, faulty.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Corruption vs. Per Capita GDP
Transparency International publishes a corruption index, quantifying the badness in every country. Plotting against Per-Capita GDP shows that corruption in society, or conversely, integrity, is one of the main factors determining the wealth of an economy. I will be waiting by the telephone for the Nobel Prize in Economics.