4 ms·

They're willing to work for less because in their local economy, the pay is actually good to great. This destabilizes the local economy, creating gentrified di

by Sacho 10y ago

They're willing to work for less because in their local economy, the pay is actually good to great. This destabilizes the local economy, creating gentrified districts or entire cities(See: SF) where only the privileged laborers for a foreign economy can afford to live. It will also lead to a sharp increase in luxury good prices due to new demand, driving the bar for middle-class living out of reach for local workers. The skilled workers hired by the foreign economy become a brain drain - the government has invested resources into their education, but no one in the local economy can afford them, thus they'll never create goods for it to improve local technology levels. Helping people is hard.

Cybiote 10y ago
In those countries, corruption and the resource curse have already more than decimated local economies, creating a very lopsided distribution of wealth. It is difficult to conceive of an orthogonal infusion of wealth generation as worsening their already horrid state of affairs. With corruption having bled those countries dry, there remains little by way of local engineering opportunities and those able to, leave. A local training hub as Andela is difficult to see as worsening that situation.
bko 10y ago
> This destabilizes the local economy, creating gentrified districts or entire cities(See: SF) So paying people more and giving them jobs destabilizes the local economy because these people now have money and spend more on housing and other items? And if they're paid less, they're being exploited? > The skilled workers hired by the foreign economy become a brain drain - the government has invested resources into their education, but no one in the local economy can afford them, thus they'll never create goods for it to improve local technology levels. Doesn't the government prefer rich denizens and a higher tax base? Isn't this how education is funded and higher salaries and tax base partially the point of investing in education? > but no one in the local economy can afford them, thus they'll never create goods for it to improve local technology levels. Aren't digital good mostly global in nature? Don't poor countries benefit from Facebook/Google/Apple/etc?
- Sacho 10y ago
  > So paying people more and giving them jobs destabilizes the local economy because these people now have money and spend more on housing and other items? And if they're paid less, they're being exploited? You're not paying all people more, just some of them. The rest get to enjoy rising prices for good housing and luxuries that they won't be able to afford with their local pay. > Doesn't the government prefer rich denizens and a higher tax base? Isn't this how education is funded and higher salaries and tax base partially the point of investing in education? Unless you're planning to turn all Nigerians and Kenyans into software developers, this isn't really the case. Just higher taxes may pay for the education the government invested in you, but the investment is made with a hope that you would do more than break even. Without skilled technological leaders driving progress forward(because they're busy driving someone else's progress forward), you'll stagnate, which means the costs of global goods gets worse for your population, > Aren't digital good mostly global in nature? Don't poor countries benefit from Facebook/Google/Apple/etc? Yes - which is why most poor countries can't afford them.
  - bko 10y ago
    > You're not paying all people more, just some of them. The rest get to enjoy rising prices for good housing and luxuries that they won't be able to afford with their local pay. Correct, gains are never distributed equally. This has been tried and failed. You can keep everyone poor or allow some to accumulate wealth. In regards to modern technology not benefiting poor countries, please note that more people in Africa have a mobile phone than access to electricity [0]. Across the seven countries surveyed, roughly two-thirds or more say they own a cell phone. Ownership is especially high in South Africa and Nigeria, where about nine-in-ten have a cell phone [1]. I think you're understating the positive impact western technology is having on transforming the lives of poor Africans. [0] http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/tech/mobile/africa-mobile-opinion/ http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/tech/mobile/africa-mobile-opin... [1] http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/04/15/cell-phones-in-africa-communication-lifeline/ http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/04/15/cell-phones-in-africa-co...
    - MrsPeaches 10y ago

by Sacho 10y ago

Cybiote 10y ago

In those countries, corruption and the resource curse have already more than decimated local economies, creating a very lopsided distribution of wealth. It is difficult to conceive of an orthogonal infusion of wealth generation as worsening their already horrid state of affairs. With corruption having bled those countries dry, there remains little by way of local engineering opportunities and those able to, leave. A local training hub as Andela is difficult to see as worsening that situation.

bko 10y ago

> This destabilizes the local economy, creating gentrified districts or entire cities(See: SF) So paying people more and giving them jobs destabilizes the local economy because these people now have money and spend more on housing and other items? And if they're paid less, they're being exploited? > The skilled workers hired by the foreign economy become a brain drain - the government has invested resources into their education, but no one in the local economy can afford them, thus they'll never create goods for it to improve local technology levels. Doesn't the government prefer rich denizens and a higher tax base? Isn't this how education is funded and higher salaries and tax base partially the point of investing in education? > but no one in the local economy can afford them, thus they'll never create goods for it to improve local technology levels. Aren't digital good mostly global in nature? Don't poor countries benefit from Facebook/Google/Apple/etc?

Sacho 10y ago
> So paying people more and giving them jobs destabilizes the local economy because these people now have money and spend more on housing and other items? And if they're paid less, they're being exploited? You're not paying all people more, just some of them. The rest get to enjoy rising prices for good housing and luxuries that they won't be able to afford with their local pay. > Doesn't the government prefer rich denizens and a higher tax base? Isn't this how education is funded and higher salaries and tax base partially the point of investing in education? Unless you're planning to turn all Nigerians and Kenyans into software developers, this isn't really the case. Just higher taxes may pay for the education the government invested in you, but the investment is made with a hope that you would do more than break even. Without skilled technological leaders driving progress forward(because they're busy driving someone else's progress forward), you'll stagnate, which means the costs of global goods gets worse for your population, > Aren't digital good mostly global in nature? Don't poor countries benefit from Facebook/Google/Apple/etc? Yes - which is why most poor countries can't afford them.
- bko 10y ago
  > You're not paying all people more, just some of them. The rest get to enjoy rising prices for good housing and luxuries that they won't be able to afford with their local pay. Correct, gains are never distributed equally. This has been tried and failed. You can keep everyone poor or allow some to accumulate wealth. In regards to modern technology not benefiting poor countries, please note that more people in Africa have a mobile phone than access to electricity [0]. Across the seven countries surveyed, roughly two-thirds or more say they own a cell phone. Ownership is especially high in South Africa and Nigeria, where about nine-in-ten have a cell phone [1]. I think you're understating the positive impact western technology is having on transforming the lives of poor Africans. [0] http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/tech/mobile/africa-mobile-opinion/ http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/tech/mobile/africa-mobile-opin... [1] http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/04/15/cell-phones-in-africa-communication-lifeline/ http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/04/15/cell-phones-in-africa-co...
  - MrsPeaches 10y ago