The Netherlands considered leader in fight against poverty

Evaluation per capita and economy

WASHINGTON - The Netherlands tops the list of the world’s twenty-one richest nations when considering how much they help poor countries build prosperity, good government and security. The Commitment to Development Index (CDI) rates each rich country in seven policy areas, which then are averaged for an overall score. Last year, the CDI paced the Netherlands second overall.

The components in the CDI are measured by the Center for Global Development (CGD), a U.S. think tank. Taken into consideration are such criteria as the population and the size of the economy of the donor country. While the Netherlands ranks first overall, Japan finishes last while the UK and the U.S. rank below the top-ten as well.

The index measures seven components: foreign aid, trade, investment, migration, environment, security and technology. The Netherlands ranks high as an investor, for example by setting up subsidiaries in Third World countries. Environmental issues also rank high for the Netherlands as does security in the form of participation in peacekeeping operations and the deployment of Navy ships to safeguard shipping in important sea lanes.

The Center for Global Development however also states that the Netherlands could improve on its record. Dutch ‘weaknesses’ include a small share of foreign students from developing countries, who also pay higher tuition fees; high per-capita greenhouse emissions despite a large decline since 1994; and low tax subsidy rates for research and development.