Why do some countries prosper, and others don’t? That is actually a very easy question to answer. People become prosperous unless their governments stop them. Freedom begets prosperity, every time.

This video from Kite and Key Media makes the point simply, but overwhelmingly. It won’t come as a surprise to you, but you may want to send the link to your liberal brother-in-law:

We can add this observation: there are rich people in every country. What varies widely is whether the broad mass of the people are prosperous. In unfree countries, a few are rich but most are poor. In free countries, prosperity is widely shared.