On November 18, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School hosted a discussion on the topic "Country as a system: principles of development" for participants in the program Presidents MBA.
"The value of a country is not defined by its position in the Doing business rating or even by its GDP. The essence of a country is in helping the community achieve aims people cannot achieve on their own. This is synergy for the sake of making people happier," said Viktor Halasyuk commenting on key aspects of the topic.
The people's deputy pointed to the current logical shift from simple measurements of a state's efficiency (like GDP) that do not reflect the usefulness of a state for the society and individuals to more person-oriented and complex measurements like Human Development Index or even Happiness Index.
The discussion also addressed the importance of the national element of the category "country." "The history shows that modernization of countries was often linked with this or that form of nationalism. To a certain extend this is what Ukraine is lacking today. But we don't at all need the ethnic nationalism, rather we need a political nationalism." the deputy said. In his opinion providing the Ukrainian Diaspora with national passports and the right to vote at elections would be an important step toward a globally successful nation. At the same time the idea would probably face essential resistance, he noted.
The discussion did not omit the question of the role of an individual in the life of a country. "Success of a country as a rule is linked with moral, professional, very ambitious and self-sacrificing leadership. Ataturk, De Gaulle, Lee Kuan Yew and other national leaders have proved that history is not fate. This is material for politicians - sculptors of states and their like-minded fellows - modernizers. The practice also proves that kleptocratic leaders-copyists are capable of taking care of only their own interests and of preserving traditional inefficiency for their own benefit and benefits of their henchmen," said the chairman of the Committee.
Viktor Halasyuk said Ukraine needs a truly radical transformation in all key areas, a single plan of the socio-economic development of the country instead of sketchy unsystematic evolutional reforms employed for lulling the social consciousness.
An essential contribution to the discussion was made by Dr. phil., reader in philosophy and religion studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Mykhailo Minakov.