Page 46 - life-in-naples-march-2016

DOCTOR’S CORNER
SUCCEEDWhy People, Families, Communities and Nations
by Allen Weiss, MD, MBA, FACP, FACR
President and CEO, NCH Healthcare System
W hy are some folks happy and successful? Why
are some families likewise engaged, prosperous,
and stable? Why are whole communities and
regions growing, flourishing and safe? And, on a
broader scale, why do some nations succeed while
neighboring countries, with similar assets, fail? nice to just the opposite.
Why Nations Fail is a book by Daron Acemoglu and James
Robinson, two esteemed professors of economics from MIT
and Harvard, respectively, with many examples and copious
references addressing this interesting question. Their research and
explanations center on historical examples and whole nations.
Scaling back from the international and historical perspective,
I believe we have much to learn at regional, local, institutional,
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and personal levels.
Why does southwest Florida continue to be so attractive? Why
do we continue to grow with like-minded community supportive
citizens? Other communities in Florida and the southern crescent
of the United States share similar climate, geographic attributes
and ethnic diversity. Yet the development and robustness of all
these communities varies considerably—from disproportionately
For nations to succeed, many factors must come into play—
appropriate economic institutions, laws especially for protecting
private property, class mobility, an open pluralistic political system
with real competition for political office, as well as avenues for
new political leaders.
Life in Naples | March 2016