From the tables presented in Chapter 17, what did you find most striking or unusual in the given income levels and growth rates of the different countries? Are rich countries getting richer while the poor are getting poorer? Has the United States become more or less economically free and how might this impact the future growth of the US? How does political decision-making impact the economy?

Exhibit 1 The 2014 per Person GDP Levels of Various High-, Middle-, and Low- Income Countries (measured in 2011 PPP U.S. dollars) High-Income Countries Middle-Income Low-Income + Countries Countries Singapore $78,958 Portugal $26,175 China $12,599 Norway $63,999 Greece $24,570 Egypt $10,049 Switzerland $55,275 Malaysia $24,460 Indonesia $10,033 Hong Kong $52,552 Poland $23,966 Ukraine $8,267 United $52, 118 Russia $23,293 Philippines $6,649 States Ireland $48,400 Chile $21,980 Bolivia $6,325 Netherlands $45,662 Romania $19,104 Nigeria $5,639 Germany $43,559 Venezuela $16,751 India $5,439 Australia $43,256 Mexico $16,284 Bangladesh $2,979 Canada. $42,774 Botswana $15,359 Uganda $1,689