Study Finds 13 of 128 Nations 'Highly Developed' Politically, Economically

Political and economic transformation is "highly developed" in 13 of 128 those countries, according to a study that measures progress -- or lack of -- in the developing and "transition" countries.

Project managers of the 2010 Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index released the English-language edition of the index at a March 9 Newsmaker.

The 13 "hjighly developed" states are eight EU countries (the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Latvia), two Asian states (Taiwan and South Korea) and three in Latin America (Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay).

All these countries, the report said, share "a relatively robust level of socio-economic development."

In the political area, the BTI found that a "gradual qualitative erosion ... has penetrated the core institutions of democracy in political systems around the world."

As a result, the Index said, "there have been significant setbacks observed in freedom of assembly and association, as well as that of the press in several democracies."

In the economic arena, the BTI reported that "sustainability and the level of social inclusion continue to lag far behind the values for economic output." In a fourth of the countries reviewed, the level of socioeconomic development and "is so low that poverty and social exclusion are widespread and structurally ingrained." Only 41 countries ranked average to good in this area.

BTI Senior Project Managers Hauke Hartmann and Sabine Donner presented the findings.