Ratliff does not itemize anti-development cultural values, but he does list the pro-development values of Asia. His inference is that traditional cultural values of the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa do not include some or all of these pro-development values:
(1) education is an expressway to success for individuals and nations; (2) goals should be far higher than mere survival and pursued over the long haul with single-minded diligence and a demanding work ethic; (3) merit should be sought out and rewarded; and (4) frugality and focus must guide the expenditures of funds and energies.
Imagine the progress that would have resulted if, over the decades, Brazil had put the energies expended on Carnival instead into economic development.
