> How is the local, artisanal shoe maker going to compete with the chinese shoes that are now in the market? It seems pretty obvous to me that a local shoemake

> How is the local, artisanal shoe maker going to compete with the chinese shoes that are now in the market? It seems pretty obvous to me that a local shoemaker earning $1-2/hr stands a fair chance of competing with imported chinese shoes at $5/pair... but not with free shoes. Ten years from now, after earning a decent living wage for 10 years and acquiring experience and reputation, the same shoemaker could add a bit of mechanisation and still compete with $5 chinese shoes. I also believe based on much observation that the difference between $1-2/hr and $<<1/hr that the out-of-work shoemaker in poor countries might be earning is enormous... literally the future of your children.