Nepal, Nov. 18 -- For most Americans, like me, November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States and an opportunity to reflect on the things we value and for which we are grateful. November is also an important month for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) because that is when this US foreign assistance agency issues its 'scorecard'-a collection of 20 independent, third-party indicators produced for all low- or lower-middle-income countries, as classified by the World Bank.

The scorecard measures each country's policy performance in the areas of economic freedom, ruling justly, and investing in its people. MCC scorecards are a vital component in the agency's annual competitive selection process that determines w...