Last week, the Center for Global Development launched its annual Commitment to Development Index--a ranking of how well 21 "rich" countries support the economic and social development of poorer nations through their policies and actions. Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden placed highest overall.
The 2006 index is the fourth such index produced by the Center for Global Development, an independent think tank in Washington D.C. The index is designed to gauge overall efforts by wealthier nations to support well-being in developing countries, beyond a strictly aid-based comparison. Countries in the index are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). Each country was assessed in seven broad categories: aid (as a proportion of total economic wealth, rather than total amount), trade, investment, migration, environment, security, and technology. Underlying data comes from the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, and academic researchers. Points are assigned to each country in all seven categories and then averaged together to produce a final, overall score and ranking.
2006 Commitment to Development Index Final Rankings (in descending order):
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Austria, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Japan
Detailed and interactive charts, graphs, and maps are available by country and assessment category online. Comparisons to previous year's scores for each country are also available, however, index methodologies do differ slightly from year-to-year as formulas are improved and revised. For details, please refer to the index's full technical documentation.
RELATED LINKS:
Center for Global Development post
EarthTrends Indicators
Development Assistance: Assistance per capita
Development Assistance: Assistance, percent of GNI
Development Assistance: Assistance, percent of government expenditures
Development Assistance: ODA and Aid Recieved, Current dollars
Food Aid: Cereals Donated by Donor Countries
Food Aid: Cereals Received by Country
