Ireland is the ‘goodest’ country in the world, according to a new survey which measures what 125 nations contribute to the planet and humanity.
The UK made it to the seventh place in the overall index but was crowned as the best country in the world for its contribution in terms of technology and science.
The Good Country Index, conceived by policy adviser Simon Anholt, analyses 35 different types of data from the UN, the World Bank and other international organizations.
Mr Anholt said he hopes the Index will transform the way countries do business by encouraging them to think about the global impact of their actions. He hopes it will spark debate about what the purpose of a country is.
He said: ‘Do they exist purely to serve the interests of their own politicians, businesses and citizens, or are they actively working for all of humanity and the whole planet?
‘The debate is a critical one, because if the first answer is the correct one, we're all in deep trouble.’
As for the United States, you'd have to look much further down the list; it sits at #21 overall, and at #66 in the category of international peace and security.
The ‘goodest' companies.
Corporations sometimes get a bad rap, but corporations are made up of people, and there are very few people who don’t enjoy doing the right thing, the good thing.
Helping. We all feel good when we help.
At LIFe, we feel the same way. We were in advertising and film production companies, where making money was Job 1.
But somewhere along the way, we began to realize what was really important. It’s not about learning how to make a living. It’s about learning how to live. And so, over time, we created our do-gooder network.
Where companies can choose non-profits to support. And get some ‘goodest’ mileage out of it. Some serious PR mileage. Imagine companies being seen as ‘the good guys’ for a change. How refreshing.