A little anecdote; when I asked some Japanese businessmen what Japanese could do to improve their country or lifestyle, I was told by all of them that it should do this or that to improve the economy.
Ah I remember a fun social studies lesson in Japan. The students were asked that they think when they hear the word "shakai" (society). So we had cities and jobs and economy, I'm the last person in the class (very convientient, I can slip in and out with ease ) and I said people. The one thing that makes up a society is the individual people working together. Its all nice saying you want a better economy but its each person, each individual that makes the difference.