Scientific Productivity Predicts a Nation's Future Wealth Better Than GDP Link

Vice has interesting look at the cause and effect of investing in the physical sciences. To be fair, it’s not obvious what is the cause and what is the effect.

Developing countries expend more resources combating disease and hunger, so investing in medical and ag research makes sense. The RCA, then, reflects that in its effort to describe a country’s current and future prosperity. It also describes the fact that rich nations, which can afford more R&D, can keep accumulating wealth faster, while poor ones grow more slowly.