Sweden tops 2009 Commitment to Development Index

At the risk of turning this blog into a Nordic love fest, here's yet another recently released set of rankings that place the Scandinavian countries at the top. This time it's the Center for Global Development's (CGD) Commitment to Development Index (CDI), an annual compilation that rates the world's 22 richest countries in seven "major policy areas that support the development of poorer countries." Released in late October, this year's CDI places Sweden at the top, with Denmark in second place and Norway in fourth. (Rich but very small countries such Iceland are not included in the index.)

According to the CGD, the rankings measure the following policy areas: "aid, which funds initiatives such as child vaccinations and new roads; trade, which gives industries in poor countries access to larger markets and creates jobs; investment, which can be a source of capital and good management practices; migration, which lets workers seek higher-paying jobs in rich countries and send earnings back home; environment, which underscores the point that rich and poor countries are tied together by shared resources; security, which is a prerequisite for development; and technology, since innovation is a critical factor in development."

In its evaluation of Sweden, the CDI states: "Sweden places in the top half of CDI countries in all components except for investment, security and technology. The Swedish foreign aid program is one of the best in the world in terms of quantity, weighted for country size, as well as its quality. Sweden also bears a large burden of refugees in humanitarian emergencies and one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions rates in the CDI. Its investment, security and technology scores are driven down by relatively poor investment practices from the perspective of developing countries, high arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments, and weak support for the creation and dissemination of technological advances."

The CDI website includes detailed evaluations of the 22 ranked countries and further explanations of the different policy areas. Use the tabs at the top of the index to read about the different policy areas. Country evaluations can be accessed by clicking on the country names under the Overall tab.

If you're wondering what the CDI means in general, the Center for Global Development has an answer for that, too. Here are the organization's conclusions (click here for more on these points):

1. Rich-country policies matter
2. Development is about more than aid
3. Aid is about more than money
4. Coherence matters
5. Partnerships are powerful
6. No one is perfect