Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Compiled from Staff report, Kyodo
The Japan Times
Fake birth certificate submitted for citizenship
A Filipino woman and a Japanese man were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of submitting a false birth certificate for her son to acquire Japanese citizenship, the Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday.
Marissa Floures Ito, 31, unemployed, and Michio Uchino, 55, a ramen shop owner, are suspected of conspiring to submit a birth certificate that wrongfully states that Uchino is the father of Ito's son to Ushiku City Hall, Ibaraki Prefecture, on April 21, the police said.
The arrest is the first of its kind since the Nationality Law was revised in January to allow children born out of wedlock to foreign women to obtain Japanese nationality if the Japanese father recognizes them as his.
Before the revision, only children whose Japanese father recognized them as his before birth were able to obtain Japanese nationality. The new law allows such recognition after birth.
The incident is certain to renew criticism from conservatives who had opposed the revision because of the possibility of fraud, as in this case.
Some lawmakers had argued a DNA test is necessary for father-child recognition. But in the end, the revised law did not include the obligation for such a test, partly to avoid the controversy of only requiring the test in cases involving foreigners.
The police allege Ito turned in a document asking the city to recognize her son as Uchino's on June 2. On June 16, she allegedly went to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau and changed her residential status.
Her visa would have soon expired if she had not changed the status, the police said.
On Aug. 21, she is suspected of submitting an application for Japanese nationality for her son to the Mito Regional Legal Affairs Bureau in Ibaraki Prefecture.
She had become acquainted with Uchino via a mutual friend and gave him several hundred thousand yen as compensation, the police said. She had submitted a photo of Uchino, her son and herself to the legal bureau, they said.
The Nationality Law revision came after the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional last June a provision of the law that granted Japanese nationality to children born out of wedlock to a foreign mother only if the Japanese father recognized the children as theirs before birth.
Whether a DNA test should be applied to applicants was debated by lawmakers at length during the deliberations.
Ultimately, lawmakers decided that since the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to discriminate against children based on whether their parents are married, it would be further discrimination if the revised law required DNA tests.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Ibaraki turns matchmaker to curb population decline
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
By DAVID McNEILL and CHIE MATSUMOTO
Special to The Japan Times
NAMEGATA, Ibaraki Pref. — With fat black clouds hanging ominously overhead, a sludgy field of sweet potatoes in rural Japan might not seem the best place for a date with the woman of your dreams.
Planting seeds: Singles dig for potatoes, and partners, in a field in Namegata, Ibaraki Prefecture. DAVID MCNEILL
Still, bachelor Naoki Nakai, 33, hopes luck will strike before the rain comes.
"Yes, there could be someone for me here," he nods, glancing at a longhaired beauty in knee-high boots. "There are some nice people here."
But then his face darkens. "I think some of them are from the city."
In this remote corner of Ibaraki Prefecture, men and women tug at yams while engaging in a courtship ritual as old as time. Jokes fly and shy looks are exchanged across muddy buckets, but today's good-natured flirting disguises a serious purpose.
Japan has been hit hard by a demographic tsunami so severe it threatens to overwhelm the economy in the long run.
As millions shun marriage and delay parenthood, local governments are turning matchmaker to the nation's lonely hearts.
"It's harder than ever for people to find a partner they want to have a family with," explains Nobuki Manome, head of the Ibaraki Meeting Support Center, a matchmaking service that operates out of City Hall in Mito, the prefectural capital.
"We have decided to step in and give them a little help."
Manome hovers near today's group of hopefuls: 40 men and women, some who traveled two hours from Tokyo.
"There's a purposeful atmosphere here today. At least the city women aren't wearing high-heel shoes."
The deal is straightforward.
For ¥10,000, Ibaraki offers a three-year membership to its marriage club, which boasts about 2,800 people over 25.
Singles fill in a confidential application listing vital details: age, height and weight, health and wealth status, and preference for children.
A staff of 20 matches the hopefuls up during weekend camping and cycling outings, barbecues and cake parties.
Today's spud-themed expedition targets one of Ibaraki's most stubbornly single demographics: the rural eldest son.
"It's difficult," sighs Nakai, a heavyset, brooding man with a farmer's tan beneath his baseball cap.
"You can't tell a woman straight away that she will have to live with my mother and father at home. They won't understand."
In an effort to bridge the yawning rural-urban gap, the local agricultural union works with Ibaraki to run these unusual dates — in a few minutes everyone will jump back on a bus bound for a tomato greenhouse.
"Farmers have an especially hard time getting hitched," explains Fumio Nohara, a local government official. "They must stay at home so they don't have the time or chance to look for a wife."
Japan's dire fertility rate and shortage of children has rippled through every layer of society, but in rural areas like this one, where many young people leave for the cities, the impact is especially hard.
Last year, the national population fell by a record 51,317, but so far the government has shunned mass immigration as a solution.
Like most parts of the country, the ranks of the unmarried in Ibaraki are swelling: Since the 1970s, the percentage of women still single in their late 20s has more than tripled. Meanwhile the number of pensioners is expected to double by 2025.
For local authorities, the incentive to be marriage broker could hardly be stronger: without more children, already creaking welfare and pension systems will collapse under the weight of the elderly.
"This is such a huge problem, involving care of the old, social security and insurance, as the population decline lowers productivity," warns marriage counselor and researcher Yoko Itamoto.
She says that until recently local authorities subcontracted matchmaking out to private businesses, but as the problem worsens Ibaraki is part of a growing trend toward a bigger official role. "Governments at the prefectural level now need to get a move on."
Nohara agrees, adding: "Once people get to their 40s, it becomes much harder to match them up."
As the singles — aged 25 to 40 — at the Ibaraki event head back to the buses, he says he's pleased. "The atmosphere is good," he beams. "Do you see how people relax and talk when they're out in the open?"
But on the bus, there are worrying grumbles. "Honestly? The men are a bit lacking," moans Maki Sato, 35, who says she works as a fashion coordinator in Tokyo. "They're not really my type."
Her friend, 33-year-old Sanai Kumagai, is also unimpressed, but can't say why.
"I'm really not that fussy — the only thing I hate is stingy guys. But somehow it's not happening for me."
More than half a million Japanese are now registered with one of about 3,800 private matchmaking firms across the country, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. With most of the unmarried living at home, moms and dads, too, have become matchmakers.
According to sociologist Masahiro Yamada, who coined the buzzwords "kon-katsu" (marriage hunting) and "parasite single," 60 percent of single men and 80 percent of women are still stuck in the family nest and unmarried into their early 30s.
Some parents have begun attending large lonely hearts conventions, where they look for love and happiness for their offspring. The strategy sometimes backfires when children find out their lives are being planned for them.
"The children often know absolutely nothing about these meetings," explains Yasuko Kasai, president of the matchmaking firm Marriage Club Wish Yokoyama.
Even the Self-Defense Forces are doing their bit for the national crisis, cooperating with Ibaraki and other prefectures on single's parties targeting unmarried women.
"They're the most popular with women and are always very oversubscribed," says Manome. "The SDF is a secure job, and the men are considered masculine and attractive."
Husband-hunting Kumagai, however, has her doubts. "Aren't a lot of them gay, living with each other like that?"
The Hatoyama administration has launched perhaps the most concerted government-level bids to end the baby drought, proposing a monthly child allowance of ¥26,000 and appointing Mizuho Fukushima, one of the country's best-known feminists, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and the declining birthrate.
Fukushima wants more money for child care and fertility treatment, and laws protecting pregnant women from workplace discrimination.
Ibaraki's Manome wonders if she'll succeed.
"There have been so many social changes," he sighs. "Women are often financially independent now, so they don't need to get married."
And Japanese men, he says, need a revolution of the mind.
"Traditionally, they've been king of the roost, quite old-fashioned. They need to be kinder and more supportive."
As the singles wander around a greenhouse picking plump tomatoes, Keiko Ozaki nods in agreement.
Recently divorced and with two young children, she gives few points to her ex-husband for his homemaking skills. "Men don't do any housework and they hardly help at all with the kids."
Is she encouraged by today's outing?
"I don't see anyone here for me," she says, glancing around. "I just want to find some company, and maybe someone to help with the children. But most men are not interested in women with a family."
Still, for disbelievers in the aphrodisiacal power of country air, Manome pulls out his statistical trump card: In the three years since it was set up, the Ibaraki office has matched 350 couples — a success rate of better than one in 10.
And the number of club members has tripled since 2006.
Surveys conducted by Ibaraki show that 90 percent of locals want to get married — if they can find the right partner.
"I think we're doing something right," he says, adding that local governments in other parts of the country have come to his office on fact-finding trips.
Back on the bus, droplets of rain finally begin splashing against the windshield as it drives through darkening fields to the final leg of the collective date: a barbecue.
Farmer Nakai has struck out so far, but even if sparks don't fly over roasted yams and pork, he knows there will be other days. "If there's one thing we have in the countryside, its time."
By DAVID McNEILL and CHIE MATSUMOTO
Special to The Japan Times
NAMEGATA, Ibaraki Pref. — With fat black clouds hanging ominously overhead, a sludgy field of sweet potatoes in rural Japan might not seem the best place for a date with the woman of your dreams.
Planting seeds: Singles dig for potatoes, and partners, in a field in Namegata, Ibaraki Prefecture. DAVID MCNEILLStill, bachelor Naoki Nakai, 33, hopes luck will strike before the rain comes.
"Yes, there could be someone for me here," he nods, glancing at a longhaired beauty in knee-high boots. "There are some nice people here."
But then his face darkens. "I think some of them are from the city."
In this remote corner of Ibaraki Prefecture, men and women tug at yams while engaging in a courtship ritual as old as time. Jokes fly and shy looks are exchanged across muddy buckets, but today's good-natured flirting disguises a serious purpose.
Japan has been hit hard by a demographic tsunami so severe it threatens to overwhelm the economy in the long run.
As millions shun marriage and delay parenthood, local governments are turning matchmaker to the nation's lonely hearts.
"It's harder than ever for people to find a partner they want to have a family with," explains Nobuki Manome, head of the Ibaraki Meeting Support Center, a matchmaking service that operates out of City Hall in Mito, the prefectural capital.
"We have decided to step in and give them a little help."
Manome hovers near today's group of hopefuls: 40 men and women, some who traveled two hours from Tokyo.
"There's a purposeful atmosphere here today. At least the city women aren't wearing high-heel shoes."
The deal is straightforward.
For ¥10,000, Ibaraki offers a three-year membership to its marriage club, which boasts about 2,800 people over 25.
Singles fill in a confidential application listing vital details: age, height and weight, health and wealth status, and preference for children.
A staff of 20 matches the hopefuls up during weekend camping and cycling outings, barbecues and cake parties.
Today's spud-themed expedition targets one of Ibaraki's most stubbornly single demographics: the rural eldest son.
"It's difficult," sighs Nakai, a heavyset, brooding man with a farmer's tan beneath his baseball cap.
"You can't tell a woman straight away that she will have to live with my mother and father at home. They won't understand."
In an effort to bridge the yawning rural-urban gap, the local agricultural union works with Ibaraki to run these unusual dates — in a few minutes everyone will jump back on a bus bound for a tomato greenhouse.
"Farmers have an especially hard time getting hitched," explains Fumio Nohara, a local government official. "They must stay at home so they don't have the time or chance to look for a wife."
Japan's dire fertility rate and shortage of children has rippled through every layer of society, but in rural areas like this one, where many young people leave for the cities, the impact is especially hard.
Last year, the national population fell by a record 51,317, but so far the government has shunned mass immigration as a solution.
Like most parts of the country, the ranks of the unmarried in Ibaraki are swelling: Since the 1970s, the percentage of women still single in their late 20s has more than tripled. Meanwhile the number of pensioners is expected to double by 2025.
For local authorities, the incentive to be marriage broker could hardly be stronger: without more children, already creaking welfare and pension systems will collapse under the weight of the elderly.
"This is such a huge problem, involving care of the old, social security and insurance, as the population decline lowers productivity," warns marriage counselor and researcher Yoko Itamoto.
She says that until recently local authorities subcontracted matchmaking out to private businesses, but as the problem worsens Ibaraki is part of a growing trend toward a bigger official role. "Governments at the prefectural level now need to get a move on."
Nohara agrees, adding: "Once people get to their 40s, it becomes much harder to match them up."
As the singles — aged 25 to 40 — at the Ibaraki event head back to the buses, he says he's pleased. "The atmosphere is good," he beams. "Do you see how people relax and talk when they're out in the open?"
But on the bus, there are worrying grumbles. "Honestly? The men are a bit lacking," moans Maki Sato, 35, who says she works as a fashion coordinator in Tokyo. "They're not really my type."
Her friend, 33-year-old Sanai Kumagai, is also unimpressed, but can't say why.
"I'm really not that fussy — the only thing I hate is stingy guys. But somehow it's not happening for me."
More than half a million Japanese are now registered with one of about 3,800 private matchmaking firms across the country, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. With most of the unmarried living at home, moms and dads, too, have become matchmakers.
According to sociologist Masahiro Yamada, who coined the buzzwords "kon-katsu" (marriage hunting) and "parasite single," 60 percent of single men and 80 percent of women are still stuck in the family nest and unmarried into their early 30s.
Some parents have begun attending large lonely hearts conventions, where they look for love and happiness for their offspring. The strategy sometimes backfires when children find out their lives are being planned for them.
"The children often know absolutely nothing about these meetings," explains Yasuko Kasai, president of the matchmaking firm Marriage Club Wish Yokoyama.
Even the Self-Defense Forces are doing their bit for the national crisis, cooperating with Ibaraki and other prefectures on single's parties targeting unmarried women.
"They're the most popular with women and are always very oversubscribed," says Manome. "The SDF is a secure job, and the men are considered masculine and attractive."
Husband-hunting Kumagai, however, has her doubts. "Aren't a lot of them gay, living with each other like that?"
The Hatoyama administration has launched perhaps the most concerted government-level bids to end the baby drought, proposing a monthly child allowance of ¥26,000 and appointing Mizuho Fukushima, one of the country's best-known feminists, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and the declining birthrate.
Fukushima wants more money for child care and fertility treatment, and laws protecting pregnant women from workplace discrimination.
Ibaraki's Manome wonders if she'll succeed.
"There have been so many social changes," he sighs. "Women are often financially independent now, so they don't need to get married."
And Japanese men, he says, need a revolution of the mind.
"Traditionally, they've been king of the roost, quite old-fashioned. They need to be kinder and more supportive."
As the singles wander around a greenhouse picking plump tomatoes, Keiko Ozaki nods in agreement.
Recently divorced and with two young children, she gives few points to her ex-husband for his homemaking skills. "Men don't do any housework and they hardly help at all with the kids."
Is she encouraged by today's outing?
"I don't see anyone here for me," she says, glancing around. "I just want to find some company, and maybe someone to help with the children. But most men are not interested in women with a family."
Still, for disbelievers in the aphrodisiacal power of country air, Manome pulls out his statistical trump card: In the three years since it was set up, the Ibaraki office has matched 350 couples — a success rate of better than one in 10.
And the number of club members has tripled since 2006.
Surveys conducted by Ibaraki show that 90 percent of locals want to get married — if they can find the right partner.
"I think we're doing something right," he says, adding that local governments in other parts of the country have come to his office on fact-finding trips.
Back on the bus, droplets of rain finally begin splashing against the windshield as it drives through darkening fields to the final leg of the collective date: a barbecue.
Farmer Nakai has struck out so far, but even if sparks don't fly over roasted yams and pork, he knows there will be other days. "If there's one thing we have in the countryside, its time."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cambodia ranks next to last in Asia-Pacific on the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index
Source: http://ki-media.blogspot.com and http://www.prosperity.com
Region Ranking
Asia-Pacific (out of a total of 104 countries)
06 Australia
10 New Zealand
16 Japan
18 Hong Kong
23 Singapore
24 Taiwan
26 South Korea
39 Malaysia
44 Thailand
45 India
50 Mongolia
55 Philippines
58 Sri Lanka
61 Indonesia
75 China
76 Kazakhstan
77 Vietnam
87 Bangladesh
90 Nepal
92 Uzbekistan
93 Cambodia
99 Pakistan
Index Comparisons (Rank / Number of countries)
* Legatum Institute Prosperity Index: 93rd / 104
* Average Life Satisfaction Ranking: 95th / 104
* Per Capita GDP Ranking: 93rd / 104
* WEF Global Competitiveness Index: 110th / 133
* UN Human Development Index: 136th / 179
* Heritage/WSJ Economic Freedom Index: 106th / 178
* TI Corruption Perceptions Index: 166th / 180
* Vision of Humanity Global Peace Index: 105th / 144
The Legatum Prosperity Index is the world's only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing; unlike other studies that rank countries by actual levels of wealth, life satisfaction or development, the Prosperity Index produces rankings based upon the very foundations of prosperity – those factors that help drive economic growth and produce happy citizens over the long term.
Economic Fundamentals - Ranked 65th
Cambodia is strong on trade, but low value exports and a weak domestic market are a dead weight on the economy
Unemployment is low at 4%, putting Cambodia in the top 15 countries on this variable of economic performance. The difference between banks’ borrowing and lending rates is low at 4.2 percentage points, indicating a moderately efficient banking sector. Cambodia receives a great deal of foreign direct investment, falling just outside the top 10. Cambodia has the least severe export dependency on raw materials of all countries and, with a strong ratio of export revenues to imports, its terms of trade remain within the top 15 countries. While the inflation rate is moderate at 6%, the domestic savings rate is just 13% of GDP, and capital stock per worker is particularly low, putting Cambodia in the bottom 20 on both variables. Household expenditure as a percentage of GDP is also low at 22%, suggesting a weak domestic market for Cambodian businesses.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Ranked 102nd
Cambodia lags behind in developing ICT facilities, and a failure to invest in R&D indicates little change is likely in the near future
Cambodia has a very low level of internet infrastructure and secure servers, placing it in the bottom eight countries with respect to both variables. Access to personal computers is the second lowest worldwide, with just three computers for every 1,000 citizens. Barriers to entry are average for the region, with 10 formal steps required to set up a company. High-tech and ICT exports are negligible, registering less than 0.07% of manufactured exports. R&D expenditure as a percentage of Cambodia’s GDP is very low at just 0.1%, placing the country 99th and indicating extremely poor commercialisation of innovation. Royalty payments are below average, indicating that the country is able to capitalise on its intellectual property to some extent.
Democratic Institutions - Ranked 88th
Cambodia has a parliamentary democracy, but its institutions and processes are not democratic in practice
Cambodia receives a very low rating for political rights and a low rating for civil liberties, placing 86th on both variables. The political system allows for the presence of rival parties in the legislative branch of government and there is open political competition among political parties for the office of the chief executive. However, Cambodia ranks low on institutionalised procedures for transferring power, indicating that elections are poorly regulated and subject to political interference. There are some checks and balances in the political system to guard against rash or arbitrary actions by the executive, but the country ranks 56th on this variable, meaning that checks and balances are ineffective and real power abides in the hands of the executive. Cambodia’s judiciary is not independent and there are insufficient safeguards against interference from other branches of government. Regime stability is relatively low in Cambodia, with the country having undergone a significant change in the political system less than 10 years ago.
Education - Ranked 96th
Overall, there is a extremely low quality of education for most Cambodians, but workers have, on average, moderate years of secondary education, signifying some degree of human capital
At the primary education level, there are 51 schoolchildren per teacher and expenditure is just $91 per student, suggesting a very poor investment in education. Cambodia primary enrolment rates are the 70th lowest globally, and the country slides further down to 93rd place for secondary school enrolment rates, and to 94th place on tertiary education enrolment rates. There is also gender inequality in schools, with only 89 girls enrolled for every 100 boys, ranking the country 95th, globally. The average Cambodian worker has had 4.5 years of secondary schooling, a measurement associated with labour productivity, which in this case is close to the global average. However, the average level of tertiary education per worker is just 2.1 years, placing the country 99th out of 104 countries on this variable.
Health - Ranked 98th
Cambodia’s performance on the majority of health variables is consistently poor, with notably high levels of undernourishment and infant mortality
Cambodia’s severe underinvestment in health is an obstacle in addressing the high infant mortality rate of 67 deaths per 1,000 live births, widespread undernourishment affecting 33% of the population, and low life expectancy of just 48 years. Cambodia ranks consistently within the bottom 15 countries on objective health measures. There are only two doctors and one hospital bed per 10,000 capita. Only 28% of the population has access to improved sanitation facilities, ranking the country 100th, and only 61% claim that water quality is satisfactory.* Cambodians report the highest number of non-age-related health problems, with 29% reporting pain.* Despite this, 65% of respondents report feeling well rested.*
Safety and Security - Ranked 70th
Although significant internal security issues exist, most Cambodians report feeling safe
Cambodia has a significant presence of cross-border refugees and internally displaced persons, and there are serious problems related to group grievances. This insecurity encourages large voluntary emigration of skilled and professional workers to more secure nations. Political terror also poses a significant problem, with the country scoring poorly on variables that assess the degree to which the government uses violent methods against its own citizens. Despite high levels of insecurity, 60% of respondents said they felt safe walking alone at night, making Cambodia the 58th safest country, worldwide.* Reports of assault and muggings are low at 4%, and only one in five respondents reported theft of household property in 2008, placing Cambodia below the international average on this variable.*
Governance - Ranked 82ndCambodia ranks poorly on the enforcement of the rule of law, and corruption is perceived as widespread
Enforcement of the rule of law is very poor in Cambodia and the country ranks in the bottom 10, worldwide. Further, Cambodia ranks in the bottom 20 on both government effectiveness and regulation of economic and commercial activity. Over 85% of respondents believe local government and businesses are corrupt.* While citizens have the legal right to participate in political processes, this is limited to some degree.* Approval of the court and judicial system is higher, with 46% of respondents expressing confidence, while 72% declare confidence in the military.* Further, more than seven out of 10 of respondents said they were confident in the honesty of elections.*
Personal Freedom - Ranked 51st
Most Cambodians are satisfied with their freedoms of choice, but also acknowledge widespread intolerance for immigrants and ethnic minorities
Cambodians are reported to have unconstrained freedom to practice their religious beliefs, speak freely without fear of government censorship, and travel freely within and out of their own country. Nearly nine out of 10 citizens claimed to be satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do in their daily lives.* However, tolerance for ethnic minorities and immigrants is among the lowest, internationally, ranking the country in the bottom five on both variables.*
Social Capital - Ranked 67th
Cambodians are highly connected to religious networks but three out of 10 citizens are doubtful that friends and family would help them in times of need
Only 70% of Cambodians believe they can rely on friends and family in times of need, ranking the country 97th on this variable.* With just 17% of respondents saying they would help a stranger, Cambodia has the lowest rate, worldwide, on this variable.* Volunteering was also very low, with just 6% of respondents giving their time during the past month. However, 32% of the population had donated money, ranking the country in the top half on this variable.* Cambodians are highly religious - as assessed by their tendency to attend worship services, ranking the country 37th on the religiosity variable and suggesting widespread access to religious support networks.* No data was available on social trust, the importance of friendship, or membership of associations.
* Data taken from the Gallup World Poll
Region Ranking
Asia-Pacific (out of a total of 104 countries)
06 Australia
10 New Zealand
16 Japan
18 Hong Kong
23 Singapore
24 Taiwan
26 South Korea
39 Malaysia
44 Thailand
45 India
50 Mongolia
55 Philippines
58 Sri Lanka
61 Indonesia
75 China
76 Kazakhstan
77 Vietnam
87 Bangladesh
90 Nepal
92 Uzbekistan
93 Cambodia
99 Pakistan
Index Comparisons (Rank / Number of countries)
* Legatum Institute Prosperity Index: 93rd / 104
* Average Life Satisfaction Ranking: 95th / 104
* Per Capita GDP Ranking: 93rd / 104
* WEF Global Competitiveness Index: 110th / 133
* UN Human Development Index: 136th / 179
* Heritage/WSJ Economic Freedom Index: 106th / 178
* TI Corruption Perceptions Index: 166th / 180
* Vision of Humanity Global Peace Index: 105th / 144
The Legatum Prosperity Index is the world's only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing; unlike other studies that rank countries by actual levels of wealth, life satisfaction or development, the Prosperity Index produces rankings based upon the very foundations of prosperity – those factors that help drive economic growth and produce happy citizens over the long term.
Economic Fundamentals - Ranked 65th
Cambodia is strong on trade, but low value exports and a weak domestic market are a dead weight on the economy
Unemployment is low at 4%, putting Cambodia in the top 15 countries on this variable of economic performance. The difference between banks’ borrowing and lending rates is low at 4.2 percentage points, indicating a moderately efficient banking sector. Cambodia receives a great deal of foreign direct investment, falling just outside the top 10. Cambodia has the least severe export dependency on raw materials of all countries and, with a strong ratio of export revenues to imports, its terms of trade remain within the top 15 countries. While the inflation rate is moderate at 6%, the domestic savings rate is just 13% of GDP, and capital stock per worker is particularly low, putting Cambodia in the bottom 20 on both variables. Household expenditure as a percentage of GDP is also low at 22%, suggesting a weak domestic market for Cambodian businesses.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Ranked 102nd
Cambodia lags behind in developing ICT facilities, and a failure to invest in R&D indicates little change is likely in the near future
Cambodia has a very low level of internet infrastructure and secure servers, placing it in the bottom eight countries with respect to both variables. Access to personal computers is the second lowest worldwide, with just three computers for every 1,000 citizens. Barriers to entry are average for the region, with 10 formal steps required to set up a company. High-tech and ICT exports are negligible, registering less than 0.07% of manufactured exports. R&D expenditure as a percentage of Cambodia’s GDP is very low at just 0.1%, placing the country 99th and indicating extremely poor commercialisation of innovation. Royalty payments are below average, indicating that the country is able to capitalise on its intellectual property to some extent.
Democratic Institutions - Ranked 88th
Cambodia has a parliamentary democracy, but its institutions and processes are not democratic in practice
Cambodia receives a very low rating for political rights and a low rating for civil liberties, placing 86th on both variables. The political system allows for the presence of rival parties in the legislative branch of government and there is open political competition among political parties for the office of the chief executive. However, Cambodia ranks low on institutionalised procedures for transferring power, indicating that elections are poorly regulated and subject to political interference. There are some checks and balances in the political system to guard against rash or arbitrary actions by the executive, but the country ranks 56th on this variable, meaning that checks and balances are ineffective and real power abides in the hands of the executive. Cambodia’s judiciary is not independent and there are insufficient safeguards against interference from other branches of government. Regime stability is relatively low in Cambodia, with the country having undergone a significant change in the political system less than 10 years ago.
Education - Ranked 96th
Overall, there is a extremely low quality of education for most Cambodians, but workers have, on average, moderate years of secondary education, signifying some degree of human capital
At the primary education level, there are 51 schoolchildren per teacher and expenditure is just $91 per student, suggesting a very poor investment in education. Cambodia primary enrolment rates are the 70th lowest globally, and the country slides further down to 93rd place for secondary school enrolment rates, and to 94th place on tertiary education enrolment rates. There is also gender inequality in schools, with only 89 girls enrolled for every 100 boys, ranking the country 95th, globally. The average Cambodian worker has had 4.5 years of secondary schooling, a measurement associated with labour productivity, which in this case is close to the global average. However, the average level of tertiary education per worker is just 2.1 years, placing the country 99th out of 104 countries on this variable.
Health - Ranked 98th
Cambodia’s performance on the majority of health variables is consistently poor, with notably high levels of undernourishment and infant mortality
Cambodia’s severe underinvestment in health is an obstacle in addressing the high infant mortality rate of 67 deaths per 1,000 live births, widespread undernourishment affecting 33% of the population, and low life expectancy of just 48 years. Cambodia ranks consistently within the bottom 15 countries on objective health measures. There are only two doctors and one hospital bed per 10,000 capita. Only 28% of the population has access to improved sanitation facilities, ranking the country 100th, and only 61% claim that water quality is satisfactory.* Cambodians report the highest number of non-age-related health problems, with 29% reporting pain.* Despite this, 65% of respondents report feeling well rested.*
Safety and Security - Ranked 70th
Although significant internal security issues exist, most Cambodians report feeling safe
Cambodia has a significant presence of cross-border refugees and internally displaced persons, and there are serious problems related to group grievances. This insecurity encourages large voluntary emigration of skilled and professional workers to more secure nations. Political terror also poses a significant problem, with the country scoring poorly on variables that assess the degree to which the government uses violent methods against its own citizens. Despite high levels of insecurity, 60% of respondents said they felt safe walking alone at night, making Cambodia the 58th safest country, worldwide.* Reports of assault and muggings are low at 4%, and only one in five respondents reported theft of household property in 2008, placing Cambodia below the international average on this variable.*
Governance - Ranked 82ndCambodia ranks poorly on the enforcement of the rule of law, and corruption is perceived as widespread
Enforcement of the rule of law is very poor in Cambodia and the country ranks in the bottom 10, worldwide. Further, Cambodia ranks in the bottom 20 on both government effectiveness and regulation of economic and commercial activity. Over 85% of respondents believe local government and businesses are corrupt.* While citizens have the legal right to participate in political processes, this is limited to some degree.* Approval of the court and judicial system is higher, with 46% of respondents expressing confidence, while 72% declare confidence in the military.* Further, more than seven out of 10 of respondents said they were confident in the honesty of elections.*
Personal Freedom - Ranked 51st
Most Cambodians are satisfied with their freedoms of choice, but also acknowledge widespread intolerance for immigrants and ethnic minorities
Cambodians are reported to have unconstrained freedom to practice their religious beliefs, speak freely without fear of government censorship, and travel freely within and out of their own country. Nearly nine out of 10 citizens claimed to be satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do in their daily lives.* However, tolerance for ethnic minorities and immigrants is among the lowest, internationally, ranking the country in the bottom five on both variables.*
Social Capital - Ranked 67th
Cambodians are highly connected to religious networks but three out of 10 citizens are doubtful that friends and family would help them in times of need
Only 70% of Cambodians believe they can rely on friends and family in times of need, ranking the country 97th on this variable.* With just 17% of respondents saying they would help a stranger, Cambodia has the lowest rate, worldwide, on this variable.* Volunteering was also very low, with just 6% of respondents giving their time during the past month. However, 32% of the population had donated money, ranking the country in the top half on this variable.* Cambodians are highly religious - as assessed by their tendency to attend worship services, ranking the country 37th on the religiosity variable and suggesting widespread access to religious support networks.* No data was available on social trust, the importance of friendship, or membership of associations.
* Data taken from the Gallup World Poll
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