There is a very strong inverse correlation among countries between achievement and crony capitalism/abuse of elite power. The higher the achievement of a society, the lower its corruption. Corruption tends to flourish in settings of cronyism and abuse of elite power and privilege. Also, corruption tends to flourish where the rule of law is ignored.
Thus, achievement reduces corruption and attendant abuses of elite power, while corruption and attendant abuses of elite power forestall achievement – and generate emigration flows to high achieving countries.
I recently saw this correlation graph in the March 9th issue of The Economist:
Countries which have achieved a UNDP Human Development Index score of .9 are less corrupt, as measured by Transparency International.
This, to me, is reliable proof that moral capitalism coupled with moral government provides the best outcome for human well-being.
We might, therefore, most appropriately ask exactly what are the cultural and social drivers of moral capitalism and moral government?
And we can ask, what can countries without those drivers do to incorporate them into the foundational system structures of their societies?
I found a confirming graph on Google Images: