Constitutional Monarchies Are Better

15 May 2005

From the National Convener “Australians for Constitutional Monarchy”

Monarchy and Human Development
By Antony Carr

How do republics compare with constitutional monarchies in promoting human welfare? Do constitutional monarchies restrict human development?

Fortunately, there is a reasonably objective way to answer these questions, courtesy of the UN Human Development Programme. This index uses three dimensions to measure a country’s average human development, as follows:

A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth;
Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (with one-third weight); and;
A decent standard of living, as measured by Gross Domestic Product per capita expressed in US dollars on a purchasing power parity basis.The latest index, the index for 2004, lists 177 countries in order of achievement.

Australia is up near the top, currently in third spot, behind Norway and Sweden, and ahead of all other countries, including the United States. Those on the left of the political spectrum may be disturbed to learn that Australia has steadily moved up the rankings during the Howard ascendancy.

Here's a list of the top twenty together with their latest Human Development Index scores. Those countries that happen to be constitutional monarchies are identified with an asterisk.

1. Norway * 0.956
2. Sweden * 0.946
3. Australia * 0.946
4. Canada * 0.943
5. Netherlands * 0.942
6. Belgium * 0.942
7. Iceland 0.941
8. United States 0.939
9. Japan * 0.938
10. Ireland 0.936
11. Switzerland 0.936
12. United Kingdom * 0.936
13. Finland 0.935
14. Austria 0.934
15. Luxembourg * 0.933
16. France 0.932
17. Denmark * 0.932
18. New Zealand * 0.926
19. Germany 0.925
20. Spain * 0.922

When you examine this list, some very interesting facts emerge.

The top six countries in the index are all constitutional monarchies, without exception.
Seven out of the top ten countries are constitutional monarchies.
Twelve or fully 60% of the top twenty countries are constitutional monarchies.

If we go to the bottom of the list, each one of the bottom twenty countries is a republic.
Of course, nineteen out of the bottom twenty are in Africa and some may argue that this merely reflects the situation for blacks generally throughout the world. There is one notable exception to this general rule for black-ruled countries however, and that’s Barbados. Barbados is considered ‘highly developed’ and is ranked 29th. Is it irrelevant that the highest ranked black-run country in the world also happens to be a constitutional monarchy?

News from around the globe that the newspapers seldom print Disclaimer and fair comment While I agree with most of the material passed on I may not be in agreement with all. However there is much we can learn from some that we disagree with. Remember it was once thought that the earth was flat. It is left to your judgment to determine what you agree with and what to act upon.
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHIES ARE BETTER
15 May 2005 From the National Convener “Australians for Constitutional Monarchy” Monarchy and Human Development By Antony Carr How do republics compare with constitutional monarchies in promoting human welfare? Do constitutional monarchies restrict human development? Fortunately, there is a reasonably objective way to answer these questions, courtesy of the UN Human Development Programme. This index uses three dimensions to measure a country’s average human development, as follows: A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth; Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (with one-third weight); and; A decent standard of living, as measured by Gross Domestic Product per capita expressed in US dollars on a purchasing power parity basis.The latest index, the index for 2004, lists 177 countries in order of achievement. Australia is up near the top, currently in third spot, behind Norway and Sweden, and ahead of all other countries, including the United States. Those on the left of the political spectrum may be disturbed to learn that Australia has steadily moved up the rankings during the Howard ascendancy. Here's a list of the top twenty together with their latest Human Development Index scores. Those countries that happen to be constitutional monarchies are identified with an asterisk. 1. Norway * 0.956 2. Sweden * 0.946 3. Australia * 0.946 4. Canada * 0.943 5. Netherlands * 0.942 6. Belgium * 0.942 7. Iceland 0.941 8. United States 0.939 9. Japan * 0.938 10. Ireland 0.936 11. Switzerland 0.936 12. United Kingdom * 0.936 13. Finland 0.935 14. Austria 0.934 15. Luxembourg * 0.933 16. France 0.932 17. Denmark * 0.932 18. New Zealand * 0.926 19. Germany 0.925 20. Spain * 0.922 When you examine this list, some very interesting facts emerge. The top six countries in the index are all constitutional monarchies, without exception. Seven out of the top ten countries are constitutional monarchies. Twelve or fully 60% of the top twenty countries are constitutional monarchies. If we go to the bottom of the list, each one of the bottom twenty countries is a republic. Of course, nineteen out of the bottom twenty are in Africa and some may argue that this merely reflects the situation for blacks generally throughout the world. There is one notable exception to this general rule for black-ruled countries however, and that’s Barbados. Barbados is considered ‘highly developed’ and is ranked 29th. Is it irrelevant that the highest ranked black-run country in the world also happens to be a constitutional monarchy?
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