3 ms·
No amount of failed crops would cause a shortage if trade were free since there's a region in the world SOMEWHERE that's having a good year.
by iopq 10y ago
No amount of failed crops would cause a shortage if trade were free since there's a region in the world SOMEWHERE that's having a good year.
- emodendroket 10y agoI suppose that's why there are no more famines anymore.
- nradov 10y agoFamines are caused by bad governments, failed states, and violent conflicts. Not because there isn't enough food.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- iopq 10y agoIf you have money, and trade is fairly free, you would never have a famine unless it's world-wide. I mean, let's say all of your crops failed. So what? Just buy them from another country. It's a little more expensive, but better than starving. So why do people starve? It's when your money can't buy anything from another country because people from other countries don't have faith in your currency. Or when you can't trade at all for some reason. Famines are chiefly an economic problem.
- jpatokal 10y agoNo, they're a political problem. There are no famines in democracies.
- emodendroket 10y agoUnless we want to start playing semantic games about what counts as a "real" democracy that isn't really true.
- emodendroket 10y agoWell, in principle, that makes sense, but, to trot out a well-rehearsed example, what are we to make of Ireland continuing to export food during the potato famine in your framework? An unfettered free market will get food to people who can pay the most for it -- which isn't necessarily the same group of people who most need it. Admittedly we are getting away from the example of Japan here where there isn't really a serious danger of famine either way without a drastic change in material conditions.
- Arizhel 10y agoAs nradov said above, "Famines are caused by bad governments, failed states, and violent conflicts. Not because there isn't enough food." Obviously, the Irish Potato Famine was caused by bad government. Instead of being allowed to keep their own potatoes, the government of occupied Ireland, run by Britain, forced them to export them all.
- emodendroket 10y agoThat's not quite right. Large holders wanted to sell the food for more money. It wasn't a matter of government agents marching in an commandeering the fields.
- Arizhel 10y agoThat's still an example of bad government. It's the government's job to act in the best interests of the nation and the citizens, even if that means going against the wishes of the rich elite.
- emodendroket 10y agoSeveral people are participating in this conversation and some of them seem to be arguing that if you just totally liberalize trade the problems will solve themselves. I agree with you, though.