how does he propose turning corrupt governments into ones that behave nicely...?
It's mainly a matter of seeing where their incentives are aligned, and working on those. And the Western countries have the leverage to do that, if they want to. in many cases these unfair markets are an indirect result of a skewed
trade policy with a free and fair market in europe, the us and elsewhere....
Agree. Removing the trade barriers is the biggest thing America or Europe could do, far more than handouts. And it would benefit their people as well -- the barriers as they stand benefit only narrow interest groups. What Gates seems to be saying is grounded in reality
I'm a huge fan of Gates, and the work he's doing. But with regard to his Harvard speech, Stossel is on the money, imo. It's a bit unfair to criticise markets for not working in countries where they're not allowed to work. On 7/9/07, ashok _ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
the commentary on William Easterly's is a valid one.... however, his comments on the Gate's speech seem misplaced ... how does he propose turning corrupt governments into ones that behave nicely...? How does he propose that a fair & free market will appear ? in many cases these unfair markets are an indirect result of a skewed trade policy with a free and fair market in europe, the us and elsewhere.... What Gates seems to be saying is grounded in reality (i dont know what projects they are involved in...so i cannot comment on the approach or whether it is destined for failure...) ... the market forces are not operating in a balanced way, because there various factors in play - corrupt governments, poor communication, bad infrastrcuture, mindsets...etc... its the typical problem of high taxation (18% VAT, 30% income tax...) and poor delivery (no roads, phones, etc...). You cannot avoid dealing with existing governments in place, there are bad apples, but there are some good ones too.... On 7/9/07, Amit Varma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > John Stossel had a response to Gates's speech here: > http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/06/bill_gates_needs_an_econ_cours.html > > Also, on foreign aid, here's William Easterly: > http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-easterly6jul06,0,6188154.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail >
-- Amit Varma http://www.indiauncut.com
