Clues to EU prosperity

Part of the Dubai-based Legatum Group, the Legatum Prosperity Index, claims to provide the world’s only global assessment of national prosperity based on both wealth and well-being. It ranks countries based on their performance in eight sub-indices, including economy, governance, personal freedom, and social capital. The latest study shows that Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain all report high levels of corruption, low rates of social trust, low levels of rule of law, and inefficient public sectors, which suggests that their foundations for economic recovery may be weaker than elsewhere...