The evidence strongly shows that Hong Kong and Singapore benefit from being small island economies on major trade routes, established as entrepots. They are not models for development of tropical agricultural economies such as those in Africa. Switzerland shows that a landlocked country can flourish if it is itself surrounded by rich nations, such as those in Europe, and serves as a long-standing land bridge between them.
Jeffrey Sachs, Scientific American Jan. 2005 p.14
This quote is relevant because many libertarians decry aid to developing nations, saying Hong Kong is the libertarian-like example that should be followed. One responded to Sachs' article on development with this argument, and Sachs responded.
Of course there are MANY other reasons why the countries libertarians claim are models are not libertarian. For example, almost all property is owned by the Hong Kong government, and public housing accounts for roughly half the population.
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2 comments:
I find it interesting that libertarians never picked up on the fact that when the British ran Hong Kong, they decided not to live under that kind of system in their own country. For some reason Western libertarians want to admire these experiments in laissez faire, anarcho-Somalianism and Hoppean monarchy at arm's length, while they enjoy the benefits of living in the developed democratic countries where they nurture their strange grievances against government.
That does it. Now you're added to my list of quotes. (At the end, where all the new quotes go.)
I love a nice, pithy summation of hypocrisy!
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