The reasons for declines are obvious, but different depending on the civilisation affected. Dynastic theory of people inheriting luxury and becoming corrupt is taken very seriously by Asian and Arab historians. In Russia, references to leaders being incompetent and disinterested in rulership abound in the times of troubles, possibly from ingesting poisonous arsenic or mercury causing a degree of mental retardation. USA appears to show evidence of brain drain economies and possible genetic damage in the urbanised areas and the south eastern corner at least judging from public school results. A series of europeans have lost interest in their highly profitable trading empires and simply lost their cutting edge of ingenuity when it comes to industry.

According to the bureau of statistics immigration records in Australia, people immigrating for business have done very well, but not as well as those banished from their home countries for social reasons. Economic motivations for immigration usually have resulted in nothing more than manual labour and subsistance farming