At least among rich countries, capital markets are so integrated that riskless arbitrage opportunities have vanished.
The lack of universal health care has long made America an oddity among rich countries.
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There is even more disagreement among rich countries over how to discourage bankers from bolting in a crisis.
Rates of home ownership vary enormously among rich countries, from less than 30% in Switzerland to 80% in Ireland.
And despite years of mandatory English-language classes in secondary school, the Japanese score lowest among rich countries on English tests.
Uniquely among rich countries, America's system of health insurance is not universal.
As chart 5 shows, real interest rates differ substantially among rich countries.
After Japan and Italy, Finland has the most rapidly ageing population among rich countries, so it is wary of adding to its debts.
Almost uniquely among rich countries, American men now aged between 25 and 34 are less likely than their fathers to have a college degree.
That explains why, among rich countries, Spain, Greece, Italy and Belgium have some of the largest grey economies and why America, Canada and Switzerland have much smaller ones.
Among rich countries, America has toyed with this, and a number of cities have offered concessions to both American and foreign companies, though the results have not always been happy.
America is exceptional among rich countries in this respect.
GDP, one of the lowest among big rich countries (see chart).
Since then, of course, the atmosphere has soured: the war in Iraq, and the events that led up to it, have opened up fresh divisions, not least among the rich countries themselves.
The Democrats will argue that there is room for revision: among 23 rich countries which also tax consumption, only four, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand and Norway, do it on food at the full rate.
The chart shows employment levels in the mostly rich OECD countries among the oldest section of the workforce (55-64) and the youngest (15-24).
And if the less rich among the existing member countries are not to give up some of their gains, who will pay for enlargement?
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Seattle showed that it is no longer acceptable for rich countries to stitch up trade deals among themselves and expect developing countries to concur without being involved in a meaningful way.
Lakshmi Mittal of ArcellorMittal fame topped the list at No. 6 among the rich guys in the BRIC countries.
Once one of the most egalitarian of countries, Japan is now above average among rich nations in its income inequality and, at 14%, has the highest rate of children raised in poverty.
Oil- and gas-rich Congo-Brazzaville, Tanzania and Zambia are among the 12 African countries to benefit.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) was among the first rich-world central banks to start raising interest rates after virtually all countries had slashed them during the crisis.
Monument Oil and Gas was among the first western firms to strike a deal in Turkmenistan, one of the energy-rich countries surrounding the Caspian Sea.
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