iplomatic Courier and creator of Good Country Index Simon Anholt today announced a new strategic partnership focused on the release of the fifth Good Country Index (GCI). As part of the partnership, Diplomatic Courier is publisher for the GCI—an annual index, which uses UN data to measure what individual countries contribute to the world outside versus what they take away. The results are scaled to GDP to correct for economic capacity, and then ranked. In this year’s GCI, which uses data from pre-pandemic 2020, Sweden was ranked first—marking the first time any country has been ranked first more than once.
Read the new edition of the Good Country Index for free here and review the data here.
The GCI uses UN data which it divides into seven categories: Science & Technology, Culture, International Peace & Security, World Order, Planet & Climate, Prosperity & Equality, and Health & Wellbeing. Measurements are to some degree influenced by some structural factors of capacity - for instance, a country will lose points in International Peace & Security if it exports violence, whether by choice or due to a lack of control of their borders. To a far greater extent, however, rankings are influenced by choices that each country makes. Even extremely poor countries spend hundreds of millions on marketing themselves and may make any number of other suboptimal decisions with the money available to them—either by mistake or design.
While Western countries—and especially Scandinavian countries—tend to score well in the GCI, this is not the whole story. Countries with widely varying models of governance have historically scored well. In this fifth edition of the GCI, several non-Western countries with quite different ideas of governance and economic policy performed well; from Japan and Singapore to Georgia and Malaysia to South Africa and Tunisia. This naturally raises questions about the decisions governments make which influence the global good. Those questions are raised by design—the GCI is intended to spark these conversations rather than make value-laden pronouncements.
Diplomatic Courier is simultaneously launching the Good Country Channel, also in partnership with the Good Country Index, which will host a series of editorials analyzing and explaining results from the GCI. The channel will also act as a forum in which stakeholders—from the general public, civil society, and government sectors among others—can critically assess and discuss the GCI. Above all, the GCI is intended as a way to start conversations about how countries can recalibrate their policy goals to maximize global good while furthering their own interests. Accordingly, submissions from stakeholders are welcome. These can be submitted to Diplomatic Courier as per general submission guidelines. Stakeholders are encouraged to read the report and the FAQs before submitting.
About the Good Country Index: Since 2014, the Good Country Index (GCI) measures what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size. The Good Country Index doesn’t measure what countries do at home, it only looks at each country’s external impact on the world we all share.
About Diplomatic Courier: Diplomatic Courier is a global media affairs network spanning 180 countries and five continents, connecting global publics to leaders in international affairs, diplomacy, social good, technology, business, and more. Our think tank, the World in 2050, convenes multi-stakeholders in the private and public sectors through a series of global summits and forums, educational material, research papers and reports, and digital and print media.
For questions on this press release please contact us at press at diplomaticourier dot org.
a global affairs media network
Diplomatic Courier and Simon Anholt Announce Launch of Good Country Index Edition 1.5
March 29, 2022
Diplomatic Courier and Simon Anholt announced a partnership on the release of the latest edition of the Good Country Index, along with an associated channel to be hosted on Diplomatic Courier to act as a forum for conversations around the GCI.
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iplomatic Courier and creator of Good Country Index Simon Anholt today announced a new strategic partnership focused on the release of the fifth Good Country Index (GCI). As part of the partnership, Diplomatic Courier is publisher for the GCI—an annual index, which uses UN data to measure what individual countries contribute to the world outside versus what they take away. The results are scaled to GDP to correct for economic capacity, and then ranked. In this year’s GCI, which uses data from pre-pandemic 2020, Sweden was ranked first—marking the first time any country has been ranked first more than once.
Read the new edition of the Good Country Index for free here and review the data here.
The GCI uses UN data which it divides into seven categories: Science & Technology, Culture, International Peace & Security, World Order, Planet & Climate, Prosperity & Equality, and Health & Wellbeing. Measurements are to some degree influenced by some structural factors of capacity - for instance, a country will lose points in International Peace & Security if it exports violence, whether by choice or due to a lack of control of their borders. To a far greater extent, however, rankings are influenced by choices that each country makes. Even extremely poor countries spend hundreds of millions on marketing themselves and may make any number of other suboptimal decisions with the money available to them—either by mistake or design.
While Western countries—and especially Scandinavian countries—tend to score well in the GCI, this is not the whole story. Countries with widely varying models of governance have historically scored well. In this fifth edition of the GCI, several non-Western countries with quite different ideas of governance and economic policy performed well; from Japan and Singapore to Georgia and Malaysia to South Africa and Tunisia. This naturally raises questions about the decisions governments make which influence the global good. Those questions are raised by design—the GCI is intended to spark these conversations rather than make value-laden pronouncements.
Diplomatic Courier is simultaneously launching the Good Country Channel, also in partnership with the Good Country Index, which will host a series of editorials analyzing and explaining results from the GCI. The channel will also act as a forum in which stakeholders—from the general public, civil society, and government sectors among others—can critically assess and discuss the GCI. Above all, the GCI is intended as a way to start conversations about how countries can recalibrate their policy goals to maximize global good while furthering their own interests. Accordingly, submissions from stakeholders are welcome. These can be submitted to Diplomatic Courier as per general submission guidelines. Stakeholders are encouraged to read the report and the FAQs before submitting.
About the Good Country Index: Since 2014, the Good Country Index (GCI) measures what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size. The Good Country Index doesn’t measure what countries do at home, it only looks at each country’s external impact on the world we all share.
About Diplomatic Courier: Diplomatic Courier is a global media affairs network spanning 180 countries and five continents, connecting global publics to leaders in international affairs, diplomacy, social good, technology, business, and more. Our think tank, the World in 2050, convenes multi-stakeholders in the private and public sectors through a series of global summits and forums, educational material, research papers and reports, and digital and print media.
For questions on this press release please contact us at press at diplomaticourier dot org.
