A Comparative Survey of Harmonious Development in South Asian Countries: Highlighting the Necessity of a Principled and Orderly Population

This research is a comparative survey of harmonious development in South Asian countries. In this research, the role of four basic, top-level variables in the harmonious development of these countries is examined in four different social aspects. A fuzzy comparative analysis5 is used, and paths to follow and not to follow in the course of development are explored. Results of the study showed that the development process of these countries was affected by a mixed causal connection of the following four variables: economic freedom, weak government, cultural heterogeneity, and principled population. Based on the findings of the study, in the South Asian and comparable countries, economic freedom as a single factor does not lead to a harmonious development, and it requires certain circumstances alongside in order that the development will be harmonious. The findings indicate that a strong government and its measures operate as an independent variable with strong and efficient influences on the process of development. In case the government is weak and its performance inefficient, then other causal connections of the other three variables, i.e. cultural heterogeneity, economic freedom and, most particularly, a principled and orderly population, can bring about a harmonious development. Among the latter three variables, the role of a principled population is crucial and it is a necessary condition for attaining to a harmonious development.