4 Comments

"In fact, when I run my own ‘horse race’, controlling for national IQ, SATs are not a statistically significant predictor of GDP. Well, unless you weight by population, then it has a positive significant effect size."

Could you post the full regressions? I've been asking Garett to do this since 2016 or so.

Expand full comment

Is it best for the Chinese people to migrate to third world countries in the long run?

If you believe that:

1) China is temporarily poor because of communism, which is already in the rear view mirror

2) china will eventually be a super rich country because of its high iq, certainly richer then some low iq third world country

3) then moving from china to a third world country that is temporarily richer then china is probably a bad move in the long run, especially for your descendants

4) it seems to me that this is a kind of “yellow man’s burden” where jones says Chinese have a moral duty to become the smart fraction for third world countries and force the local inferior populations into compliance for their own good, even if it isn’t in their own personal interest (given #3). As I recall, the colonies of the white mans burden ended up being burdens to their host countries

5) would having more Chinese people in China do more good then having more Chinese people abroad trying to ditch tape together the third world

6) the case for Chinese moving to smart countries that are currently richer is a bit stronger, but it depends on your view of Chinese culture and it’s effects on other first world countries. Remember, all gains are pretty temporary if you think china will soon be just as rich. You see very few Japanese wanting to move to the west since they are already rich.

Expand full comment

Culture does matter because it defines our behaviours that affect our genetics that affect our intelligence.

Please check: mahmudhusain.netlify.app

Expand full comment

You mentioned Argentina's decline without mentioning race. I can understand why as it's a hot button topic. Here is a good essay from an Argentinian on why his country declined. I'm inclined to believe him. A lot of Argentinians of European ancestry have reclaimed their Spanish or Italian heritage and moved back to Europe for better lives. One can do that if one can proof his lineage (grandparents alive or deceased with Italian passports for example).

If you go to Buenos Aires today, you won't see that many European faces. There are more and more people of mixed ethnicity.

https://www.amren.com/features/2017/04/argentina-a-mirror-of-your-future-buenos-aires-latin-america/

Expand full comment