> The outcome is predictable: the
>former state socialist countries, along with a few European
>post-war
>Marshall aid-recipient welfare state democracies stand out on the
>positive extreme...
The indices show _eastern europe, russia, and cuba_ as having higher
standards of living??? To a lesser extent, they show the more
socialized w. european economies?? Does anyone assert that these
countries have higher standards now? If not, what does this imply
about the measure? To me, it goes back to the Living Standards index
on the Penn world database: Resources were transfered from
producers to consumers, helping them in the short run but damaging
future consumption because of declining investment.
--G