MULTIDIMENSIONAL NATION WELLBEING, MORE EQUAL YET MORE POLARIZED: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRESS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SINCE 1990

Abstract

Mounting concern regarding inadequacies of per capita GDP or GNI as a source of nation wellbeing classification and comparison lead to the employment of multidimensional approaches with attendant concerns regarding their arbitrary and complex nature. Here, based upon commonalities in multidimensional behavior of nations, feasible, less arbitrary, classification methodologies and techniques for assessing wellbeing within and between groups are proposed. Implementation in a three dimensional study of 164 countries from 1990 to 2014 in a Human Development Index (HDI) framework reveals substantive multi-dimensional growth in a slowly evolving, relatively immobile three group world exhibiting simultaneous increases in equality and polarization with a growing Lower HD class and shrinking Middle and High HD classes.