Understanding the Foundations: Maslow's Hierarchy and Economic Basics At the heart of every society lies a delicate balance between human needs and the systems designed to meet them. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—a psychological theory that ranks human necessities from basic physiological requirements to higher-level self-actualization—serves as a useful lens for understanding societal issues. For Papua New Guinea (PNG), the failure to meet foundational needs such as security, stability, and economic opportunity creates ripple effects that hinder individual and collective growth. In economics, a stable environment—characterized by affordable goods, fair wages, and robust systems—is the cornerstone of progress. A society can only thrive when its citizens can access affordable essentials and opportunities to create wealth. Unfortunately, in PNG, the small working-class population carries the economic burden, strained further by the high cost of living, inefficient systems, and widesp...