7888: RE: 7852: Morse asks Archer and Archer replies

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Merrie Archer <MArcher@nchr.org>

Dear Richard,

If I come across the old reference, I'll send it on.  In the meantime, my
curiosity had been tickled as well at the time, so I went to the UNDP Human
Development Report to find out (www.undp.org/hdro/98hdi3.htm) and here is
what I found.  

Haiti's GDP per capita at the time of the report (1998) was $917.38.  In
addition, Haiti ranks #159 (out of 174) on the list of countries measured.
The human development index (HDI) is roughly a measurement of standard of
living, developed by the UNDP, that takes into account more than merely GDP
or other traditional measures of wealth.  It includes things like statistics
on life expectancy, literacy, child mortality or morbidity, etc.  I'd
appreciate it if the economists on the list would provide a better
definition of the index.  

I didn't go back to the map a second time, but here is how Haiti stacked up
against Somalia, Ethiopia and Chad

Country		GDP			HDI value		HDI rank

Sudan			$1109.63		.343			#
157
Haiti			$917.38		.34			# 159
Chad			$1172.40		.318			#
163
Ethiopia		$454.85		.252			# 169

Average HDI value for all countries surveyed .7715
Average GDP per capita for all countries surveyed $5990.00

Haiti has a higher HDI than either Chad or Ethiopia, but not the Sudan, but
it's GDP per capita is lower than both the Sudan and Chad, but not Ethiopa.
I suppose that makes Ethiopia significantly worse off than all other
countries in the northern hemisphere - including Haiti.  I hope this helps.


Merrie