Issues of Particular Importance

• promotion and facilitation of good governance
• acceleration and facilitation of technological progress
• voluntary simplicity and sophisticated modesty on the individual level.

A comparison of countries that have developed rapidly with countries having comparable resources that have not developed as rapidly reveals that the difference is mainly attributable to the level of good governance. Governments that are effective have adopted many characteristics of the private sector:

• ability to make hard choices
• having clear priorities
• having a high sense of duty in search of excellence
• having disciplined leadership with zero tolerance for corruption
• reduced bureaucracy

• a tendency to divert public resources for private gain
• failure to establish predictable framework of law and governance behavior conducive to development, or arbitrariness in application of rules and laws
• excessive rules, regulations and, licensing requirements that impede the functioning of markets
• priorities inconsistent with development, resulting in misallocation of resources.
• narrowly based or non-transparent decision-making.

Tremendous progress has been made as a result of research and technological achievements of the past 200 years. And this should give encouragement for the future. Ninety percent of all scientists and technologists who have ever lived are working today. The persistently low price of oil does not allow the market to encourage energy efficiency. However, most ecologists see technological progress and associated breakthroughs in efficiency as a necessary but not sufficient condition for global sustainable development. They argue that these technological advances need to be accompanied by a change of consciousness and attitudes on the individual level.

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