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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
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HDI: Useful first tool for moversLast year we rejected as premature the claims of the United Nations that their so-called Human Development Index is a scientifically correct and flawless method of measuring the human development. We presented several arguments that have revealed different ways of forging the data used by the statisticians that make the index questionable at best. This year as usual the UN presented the new version of the index, including new and, as they say, refined methodology of collecting and verifying data. If the feedback from some countries can be taken as a proof, this year the UN has relied less on the national statistics and more on independent sources of information, something we strongly recommended last year. This time we'll make emphasis on the strong sides of the report, which exist too, although being different from what the authors may suggest. In no way this new reading of the report refutes the weaker sides of the last year material that we found and tried to explain. First, the demonstration effect of being surpassed by a country that you know should be behind your own is certainly a strong motivation to look for improvements in your own house. For days the main topic of political conversations in India is that despite the strong economic performances its position hasn't changed. In Canada even the minimal regress may easily become a political issue. But the good thing is that nobody can influence the other scores, the only way to move up in absolute and relative terms is by improving your own statistics, or the facts that stand behind it. Second, the groups of countries are distributed in three categories, high, middle and low human development and with some exceptions for the countries where correct statistical survey isn't possible due to political interference these three groups show well where the human life is better or worse. There may be doubts as to whether Australia should be ahead of Canada or Canada ahead of France, but there should be no doubts that the life in these three countries with high human development is much better for the population as a whole than in countries at the very bottom of the scale. Third, looking for moving to another country after retirement, this index gives a first impression before the imminent trade-off between good countries with expensive goods and services and cheap countries where the life is miserable. Here the point isn't about some individuals that may find enjoyable the life even in the least developed countries. Die-hard adventurers like Indiana Jones may really exist. Statistically speaking although most of the persons coming from countries with high human development, these countries will provide the bulk of the relocating retirees, will try to find new homes that will be at close civilization levels. People that have running water, power switch, TV cable and Internet as granted will hardly find it enjoyable to live without them for the rest of their lives. This bulk of movers will look at the first and the second groups of countries, trying to make the main as well as many other trade-offs, which will determine the final choice where to move, e.g. climate vs. prices, nice views vs. remote areas, hospitable people vs. distances from the country of origin, foreign language vs. many friends. The Human Development Index is thus a very useful tool to have a first impression what the world we live looks like.
Human Development Index - 2005: --------------------
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