http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/opinion/19blow.html?_r=2&src=me&ref=general
Obviously I'm pleased with my home country's performance on here, and as a proud (if occasionally concerned) citizen I agree with the perspective cast on it -- but this matrix has a funny way of mapping to common conceptions, if not outright stereotypes, on other countries.
Switzerland, for example, with its low unemployment, high democracy index and proficiency in mathematics has stupendous income inequality, which is in line with the image of the international Swiss banking paradise.
People in Denmark are happy but die young (perhaps they drink more than the Finns?) while the Japanese are super smart, long-lived, but deeply unhappy.
To be clear: this isn't my data, it's the NYT's collation of the sources mentioned under the chart, and while interesting on its own I'd be far more curious about seeing these metrics graphed over time. How were Greece and Spain ranked prior to their economic troubles?
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