4 ms·

"For example, Hong Kong and Singapore were extremely economically liberal." I'd seriously question this. There's a ton of stuff which they have both done which

"For example, Hong Kong and Singapore were extremely economically liberal." I'd seriously question this. There's a ton of stuff which they have both done which would be met with horror by "economically liberal" types if it were tried in the west. For example, in Singapore 90% of the housing market is directly controlled by the government and if you look at the medical market, they have some really stringent price controls. Then there's the currency manipulation: both states, while small, have enormous holdings of treasuries which they buy in order to make their exports more competitive. I think those "ease of doing business measures" are fluff at best and at worst, basically just outright propaganda on behalf of foreign investors. "North Korea is even less liberal than China, almost completely rejecting international trade. It has a GDP per capita of $583.00." Nobody really has a clue what North Korea's numbers are and my level of trust in the CIA's estimates hovers around zero. Having been there and to Bangladesh I'd have to argue that the latter, while more open to the outside world, is much poorer. Whatever propaganda you are fed, it's fairly obvious from the eye that, for instance, the quality of housing in Bangladesh countryside/2nd tier towns is worse than those in North Korea's 2nd tier towns and countryside.

logicchains 9y ago
>I'd seriously question this. There's a ton of stuff which they have both done which would be met with horror by "economically liberal" types if it were tried in the west. I'd wager the vast majority of economic liberals would welcome government controls on the housing market and medical market if it meant a top tax rate of 20% (with the average person paying much less), no capital gains tax, and extremely liberal immigration policies. The lesser of two evils, so to speak. >I think those "ease of doing business measures" are fluff at best and at worst, basically just outright propaganda on behalf of foreign investors. If you want a more concrete example: in Australia it takes approximately one day and zero dollars to open a business. In China it often takes over 30 days and thousands of dollars in deposit, depending on the kind of business. >Whatever propaganda you are fed, it's fairly obvious from the eye that, for instance, the quality of housing in Bangladesh countryside/2nd tier towns is worse than those in North Korea's 2nd tier towns and countryside. I encourage you to watch accounts given by people who managed to escape from North Korea: they give me the impression that starvation is a bigger problem there than even in Bangladesh.

logicchains 9y ago

>I'd seriously question this. There's a ton of stuff which they have both done which would be met with horror by "economically liberal" types if it were tried in the west. I'd wager the vast majority of economic liberals would welcome government controls on the housing market and medical market if it meant a top tax rate of 20% (with the average person paying much less), no capital gains tax, and extremely liberal immigration policies. The lesser of two evils, so to speak. >I think those "ease of doing business measures" are fluff at best and at worst, basically just outright propaganda on behalf of foreign investors. If you want a more concrete example: in Australia it takes approximately one day and zero dollars to open a business. In China it often takes over 30 days and thousands of dollars in deposit, depending on the kind of business. >Whatever propaganda you are fed, it's fairly obvious from the eye that, for instance, the quality of housing in Bangladesh countryside/2nd tier towns is worse than those in North Korea's 2nd tier towns and countryside. I encourage you to watch accounts given by people who managed to escape from North Korea: they give me the impression that starvation is a bigger problem there than even in Bangladesh.