Economist Barry Asmus and theologian Wayne Grundem work together to outline a clear path to national prosperity and long-term stability. They focus on national laws, national economic policies, and national cultural values and habits and compose a list of seventy-nine  distinct factors within nations that will enable any poor nation to overcome poverty.

The standard measurement of whether a country is rich or poor is called “per capita income” It is  calculated by dividing the total market value of everything produced in a nation in a year by the number of people in the nation. If a country want to move from poverty to prosperity, it must increase the total amount of goods and services that it produces.

According to World Bank, GDP per capita in 2013 was: United States: 51.749 USD, Romania: 8.437 USD, Moldova: 2.229, Sierra Leone: 809 USD.

A Composite List of Factors That Will Enable a Nation to Overcome Poverty:

The Nation’s Economic System

1. The nations has a free-market economy.
2. The nation has widespread private ownership of property.
3. The nation has an easy and quick process for people to gain documented, legally binding ownership of property.
4. The nation maintains a stable currency.
5. The nation has relatively low tax rates.
6. The nation is annually improving its score on an international index of economic freedom.

The Nation’s Government

1. Every person in the nation is equally accountable to the laws (including wealthy and powerful people).
2. The nation’s courts show no favoritism or bias, but enforce justice impartially.
3. Bribery and corruption are rare in government offices, and they are quickly punished when discovered.
4. The nation’s government has adequate power to maintain governmental stability and to prevent crime.
5. There are adequate limits on the powers of the nation’s government so that personal freedoms are protected.
6. The powers of the government are clearly separated between national, regional, and local levels, and between different branches at each level.
7. The government is accountable to the people through regular, fair, open elections, and through freedom of the press and free access to information about government activities.
8. The government adequately protects citizens against crime.
9. The government adequately protects citizens against epidemics of disease.
10. The nation’s legal system adequately protects people and businesses against violations of contracts.
11. The nation’s legal system adequately protects people and businesses against violations of patents and copyrights.
12. The government effectively protects the nation against foreign invasion.
13. The government avoids useless wars of conquest against other nations.
14. The nation’s laws protect the country against destruction of its environment.
15. The nation requires universal education of children up to a level where people are able to earn a living and con-tribute positively to society.
16. The nation’s laws protect and give some economic incentives to stable family structures.
17. The nation’s laws protect freedom of religion for all religious groups and give some benefits to religions generally.

The Nation’s Freedoms

1. Everyone in the nation has freedom to own property.
2. Everyone in the nation has freedom to buy and sell goods and services, so that there are no protected monopolies.
3. Everyone in the nation has freedom to travel and trans-port goods anywhere within the nation.
4. Everyone in the nation has freedom to relocate any-where within the nation.
5. Everyone in the nation has freedom to trade with other countries without dealing with restrictive quotas or tariffs.
6. Everyone in the nation has freedom to start and register a business quickly and inexpensively.
7. Everyone in the nation has freedom from expensive and burdensome government regulations.
8. Everyone in the nation has freedom from demands for bribes.
9. Everyone in the nation has freedom to work in whatever job he or she chooses.
10. Every worker in the nation has freedom to be rewarded for his or her work at a level that motivates good job performance.
11. Every employer has freedom to hire and fire employees based on job performance and changing business cycles.
12. Every employer in the nation has freedom to hire and promote employees based on merit, regardless of family connections or personal relationships.
13. Everyone in the nation has freedom to use the earth’s resources wisely, and particularly to utilize any type of energy resource.
14. Everyone in the nation has freedom to change and adopt newer, more effective means of work and production.
15. Everyone in the nation has freedom to access useful knowledge, inventions, and technological developments.
16. Everyone in the nation has freedom to be educated.
17. Every woman in the nation has the same educational, economic, and political freedoms as men.
18. Everyone in the nation, from every national, religious, racial, and ethnic origin, has the same educational, economic, and political freedoms as those from other back-grounds.
19. Everyone in the nation has freedom to move upward in social and economic status.
20. Everyone in the nation has freedom to become wealthy by legal means.
21. Everyone in the nation has freedom to practice any religion.

Nation’s Values

1. The society in general believes that there is a God who will hold all people accountable for their actions.
2. The society in general believes that God approves of several character traits related to work and productivity.
3. The society in general values truthfulness.
4. The society in general respects private ownership of property.
5. The society in general gives honor to several other moral values.
6. The society in general believes that there are both good and evil in every human heart.
7. The society in general believes that individuals are responsible for their actions.
8. The society in general highly values individual freedom.
9. The society in general opposes discrimination against people on the basis of race, gender, or religion.
10. The society in general honors marriage between one man and one woman.
11. The society in general values permanency of marriage and has a low divorce rate.
12. The society in general believes that human beings are more important than all other creatures on the earth.
13. The society in general believes that the earth is here for the use and benefit of human beings.
14. The society in general believes that economic development is a good thing and shows the excellence of the earth.
15. The society in general believes that the earth’s resources will never be exhausted.
16. The society in general believes that the earth is orderly and subject to rational investigation.
17. The society in general believes that the earth is a place of opportunity.
18. The society in general believes that time is linear and therefore there is hope for improvement in the lives of human beings and nations.
19. The society in general believes that time is a valuable resource and should be used wisely.
20. The society in general manifests a widespread desire to improve on life, to do better, to innovate, and to become more productive.
21. The society in general is open to change, and people therefore work to solve problems and make things better.
22. The society in general gives honor to productive work.
23. The society in general gives honor to economically productive people, companies, inventions, and careers.
24. The society’s business owners and workers in general view their companies primarily as means of providing customers with things of value, for which they will then be paid according to that value.
25. The society in general places a high value on savings in contrast to spending.
26. The society in general believes that mutual gains come from voluntary exchanges, and therefore a business deal is “good” if it brings benefits to both buyer and seller.
27. The society in general values knowledge from any source and makes it widely available.
28. The society in general values a highly trained work-force.
29. The society in general assumes that there must be a rational basis for knowledge and recognized channels for spreading and testing knowledge.
30. The society in general demonstrates a humble willing-ness to learn from other people, other nations, and members of other religions.
31. The society in general believes that the purpose of government is to serve the nation and bring benefit to the people as a whole.
32. The society in general believes that government should punish evil and promote good.
33. The society in general values patriotism and reinforces a shared sense of national identity and purpose.
34. The society in general counts family, friends, and joy in life as more important than material wealth.
35. The society in general counts spiritual well-being and a relationship with God as more important than material wealth.