While this is an interesting graph (minus this disastrous key), this title is definitely misleading. You're implying causation from this correlation, but I would argue it is not quite so simple. As is usually the case, it is much more expensive to be poor than rich. LATAM countries spend more on basic infrastructure than high HDI counterparts, and the efficiency of that spending is less because of graft and lower economies of scale. While the graph seems to be arguing that rich countries get rich by spending money on research, historically it would be more accurate to say rich countries remain rich because they have money to spend on tech development.
hijodelgabo t1_je5zyz3 wrote
Reply to [OC] Research Funding vs Human Development: a country's R&D spending correlates with its societal well-being by latinometrics
While this is an interesting graph (minus this disastrous key), this title is definitely misleading. You're implying causation from this correlation, but I would argue it is not quite so simple. As is usually the case, it is much more expensive to be poor than rich. LATAM countries spend more on basic infrastructure than high HDI counterparts, and the efficiency of that spending is less because of graft and lower economies of scale. While the graph seems to be arguing that rich countries get rich by spending money on research, historically it would be more accurate to say rich countries remain rich because they have money to spend on tech development.