Lessons for Kenya on why some nations succeed, others flop

All nations have similar goals. The three primary goals are national security and defence, economic prosperity, and the promotion of social well-being and equality for its citizens.

All the 195 countries in the world have these primary visions in common to achieve and maintain grand freedoms for their citizens. Liberty, freedoms from poverty, ignorance, diseases, and insecurity.

The pathways to these national dreams are always under construction as learning continues from past challenges and the world’s best practices. The products, assets, and services that economists call Common-Pool Resources (CPRs) need to be managed by the state for affordability, efficiency, and effectiveness.

This is the first line of the happier, successful nations. The timeless question is, what makes some nations succeed so well while others continuously fail?

This is an enduring question that helps the wider humanity learn the best methods of making their nations prosperous. Prosperity entails more than wealth. Prosperity goes beyond the financial into the social, political, judicial, the general well-being and character of the nation. As experts argue, it’s about creating an environment where every person can reach their full potential.

“A nation is prosperous, successful when it has foolproof institutions, an open, growing economy, and empowers people to be more satisfied, healthy, educated, and safe”. In such a context, the nations of the world can be grouped into three rankings based on their Per Capita Incomes. This is a nation’s annual income divided by its population.

First are the super-successful, roaring nations. They have their per capita incomes ranging from $50,500 to over $119,000. This group include Qatar with $94,000 and the UK with $54,000 per capita income. In the second group are successful nations whose per capita income ranges from $3,500 to $50,000. Examples are South Africa with per capita income of $ 6,500 and China with $12,000.

The third group is the failing but striving nations whose per capita income, according to the Legatum Prosperity Institute of London, is less than $3,500. The examples are Kenya with a per capita income of $2,190, Tanzania with an income of $1,224, and Somalia with an income of $820.

Since 1776 when the famous book of Adam Smith of Scotland, titled ‘The Source of Wealth of Nations’, was published so too has our understanding of the nature of the prosperity, success and failures of nations. This question of why some nations succeeds while others continuously struggle? Lies at the heart of development strategies of all countries.

As writers like Tim Marshall observed, some nations can be “prisoners of geography” while the powers of others could originate from their geographies. The geographies of South Africa and South Sudan could be good illustrations in this respect. Human capital is another factor. Human capital is about the population size of a nation, their education, and health that people invest in and accumulate throughout their lives. Human capital has transformative, creative national economic values. National integration policies and practices similarly drive the success of nations.

As in Kenya, good ethics, harambee call, peace, love, unity, and patriotism foster cohesion and pride among communities within nations. Socio-cultural factors are also movers of the success of a country. These factors significantly influence national growth by shaping the nation’s values and benefits hard work behaviours. These, in turn, impact economic development, human capital, and societal well-being. Besides the geographical features, human capital, and other related matters, leadership is the main driver of the success of nations.

Leaders are the flight ‘cabin-crews’ of their country’s super-success, peace, and prosperity. Authentic, trustworthy leaderships create institutions that provide prosperity, positive feedback loops that empower wholesome growth of nations. Building an open economy is another pillar of a nation’s success. Development of macro- and micro-economic resilience, fiscal sustainability, and monetary stability are all key movers of the success of the nations.

Governments, business, education and society are all countervailing, pluralistic forces that if well managed intensify national prosperities. Finally, the availability of natural resources such as minerals and petroleum promote the success of nations.

Now, what critical lessons can Kenya learn from these timeless pillars of success and failures of nations? We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are situations and regime characteristics that appear to affect the capacities of institutions to manage affairs of their nations. Kenya can learn critical lessons from successful nations.

One, focusing on all-inclusive political, economic institutions that are crucial for the long-term stability and prosperity of the nation. Two, strong and effective professional administrations that empower citizens with access to education, healthcare, and security. Nations win, succeed as long as the men and women who occupy the legislatures, the executives, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary branches are the best and brightest.

Three, economic development that promotes investing in human capital, entrepreneurship, and diversifying the economy. During the last Easter Sunday, the main Sermons in Kenya were for “Hope, against graft, debts, and insecurity”. Four: social cohesion, inclusivity, and promoting a sense of community.