  Data mining revealed a cluster of economic, psychological, social and
cultural indicators that in combination predicted corruption and wealth of
European nations. This prosperity syndrome of self-reliant citizens, efficient
division of labor, a sophisticated scientific community, and respect for the
law, was clearly distinct from that of poor countries that had a diffuse
relationship between high corruption perception, low GDP/capita, high social
inequality, low scientific development, reliance on family and friends, and
languages with many words for guilt. This suggests that there are many ways for
a nation to be poor, but few ones to become rich, supporting the existence of
synergistic interactions between the components in the prosperity syndrome
favoring economic growth. No single feature was responsible for national
prosperity. Focusing on synergies rather than on single features should improve
our understanding of the transition from poverty and corruption to prosperity
in European nations and elsewhere.
