Mammoth states

LARGE states are two-edged swords. They need strong rule to manage their large size and avoid chaos. But their size gives economies of scale that can aid rapid progress. So some say the US can be overtaken as a superpower only by larger states that generate larger economies of scale, i.e. only China or India. The EU's failed statehood aim was for such economies too. I review the fortunes of the eight biggest states with numbers above 150 million each: China, India, US, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria and Bangladesh. They represent 50 per cent-plus of the global population and four…