Comments on: Tax and developing countries http://timworstall.com/2009/11/17/tax-and-developing-countries/ It is all obvious or trivial except... Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: The Pedant-General http://timworstall.com/2009/11/17/tax-and-developing-countries/comment-page-1/#comment-37361 The Pedant-General Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:21:48 +0000 http://timworstall.com/?p=11209#comment-37361 RM, <i>"a religion noted for promoting learning, a stable legal system and generally more ordered societies"</i> This is undeniably true until - oohh, stab in the dark here - say 1600? What went wrong with Islam after this point? There's a fascinating post right there.... (But in the meantime, can I be the first to offer "WGCE?") RM,

“a religion noted for promoting learning, a stable legal system and generally more ordered societies”

This is undeniably true until – oohh, stab in the dark here – say 1600? What went wrong with Islam after this point?

There’s a fascinating post right there….

(But in the meantime, can I be the first to offer “WGCE?”)

]]> By: The Remittance Man http://timworstall.com/2009/11/17/tax-and-developing-countries/comment-page-1/#comment-37359 The Remittance Man Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:31:24 +0000 http://timworstall.com/?p=11209#comment-37359 I certainly have anecdotal evidence from chums who have visited Nigeria that the people of the North go out of their way to distance themelves from their southern compatriots. This is especially the case when it comes to the commonly held beliefs about Nigerian honesty and probity. But I wonder if Mr Berger considered Nigeria's pre-colonial history before making his deductions. Before colonisation both northern and southern Nigeria had developed quite sophisticated societies but there were quite notable cultral differences. The northern kingdoms were heavily influenced by Muslim concepts of law, society and learning from the tenth century onwards. The southern kingdoms were less influenced and for a shorter period before the arrival of the Europeans and their own brand of social development. I doubt this provides a full explanation for it; but I do wonder if prolonged exposure to a religion noted for promoting learning, a stable legal system and generally more ordered societies also played a part in developing the phenomenon Mr Berger has identified. I certainly have anecdotal evidence from chums who have visited Nigeria that the people of the North go out of their way to distance themelves from their southern compatriots. This is especially the case when it comes to the commonly held beliefs about Nigerian honesty and probity. But I wonder if Mr Berger considered Nigeria’s pre-colonial history before making his deductions.

Before colonisation both northern and southern Nigeria had developed quite sophisticated societies but there were quite notable cultral differences. The northern kingdoms were heavily influenced by Muslim concepts of law, society and learning from the tenth century onwards. The southern kingdoms were less influenced and for a shorter period before the arrival of the Europeans and their own brand of social development.

I doubt this provides a full explanation for it; but I do wonder if prolonged exposure to a religion noted for promoting learning, a stable legal system and generally more ordered societies also played a part in developing the phenomenon Mr Berger has identified.

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