The effectiveness and efficiency of a country’s leaders can be best measured by examining the well-being of its citizens

While this statement may be correct, I believe there are a few notable flaws. One such flaw is the reliance on subjective evaluation of well-being. By this measure, a country’s citizens are compared to other countries. The well-being of the population in a country may be determined by factors such as education, health, and wealth. However, these factors are not entirely indicative of the type of citizenry the country has. For instance, although the US has an abundance of wealth, it also has a notably high poverty rate. Additionally, while the US has a high level of education, it also has one of the highest rates of illiteracy. Thus, the well-being of a country’s citizens cannot be determined by comparing it to other, more prosperous nations

The second flaw is that the well-being of a country’s citizens may fluctuate considerably throughout a leader’s tenure. For example, a leader may alleviate poverty in one year, but cause an economic decline the following year. Likewise, a leader may improve the country’s educational system and increase literacy rates, but a few years later, education standards begin to decline. Thus, the well-being of citizens may not be a good barometer of the effectiveness of a leader

The third flaw in this argument is that the performance of a country’s citizens may reflect a lack of effective leadership. A government may employ poorly trained civil servants, leading to poor service. Or the government may be plagued by corruption, in which bribes are necessary to get things done. Regardless of the reason, citizens may not receive the services that they are due. Consequently, the well-being of citizens cannot be determined by examining the services they receive

Finally, as China demonstrates, a country’s citizens may favor one leader over another. In China, the communist party has ruled for 70 years. During this time, the country’s citizens have prospered. However, recent uprisings have challenged the party’s control. Thus, the well-being of Chinese citizens cannot be equated with the effectiveness of Chinese leadership. In conclusion, while it is true that the well-being of the citizenry can be an indicator of the effectiveness of a country’s leaders, other factors must be considered as well.