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It's the same in India and other countries I've visited. Trade alone won't help. I realize India and Cuba are apples and oranges, but my point is that significa

It's the same in India and other countries I've visited. Trade alone won't help. I realize India and Cuba are apples and oranges, but my point is that significant trade doesn't necessarily trickle down to the poorest. That said, I do hope it does help some people in Cuba who have fallen victim to unnecessary stresses caused by the embargo.

Florin_Andrei 12y ago
> my point is that significant trade doesn't necessarily trickle down to the poorest Nothing trickles down to the poorest, spontaneously, almost anywhere in the world.
- mudil 12y ago
  That's absolutely not true. People live better across the world today than they lived 50 or even 20 years ago. I read statistics somewhere that people in some obscure African country today (can't recall the name) have a living standards of Finland of 20 years ago. Think about this: the major health issue nowadays across the world is obesity, not hunger.
  - Florin_Andrei 12y ago
    You're talking about the longest-term possible scale, which is called progress. We were talking about everything below that scale.
  - afterburner 12y ago
    The key word was "spontaneously". You have to make sure the money gets there.
    - BugBrother 12y ago
      I'm hellbanned (too easily trollable) so you probably won't see this, but I recommend an article by Krugman which changed my world view: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/1997/03/in_praise_of_cheap_labor.html http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/19...
  - adventured 12y ago
    That's practically impossible. Finland in 1994 had a very high standard of living. Their GDP per capita in '94 was equivalent to roughly $40,000 in today's dollar. Maybe Finland of 1914. Nigeria's GDP per capita today, for example, is $3,000.
    - mudil 12y ago
      "the average Botswanan today earns more than the average citizen of Finland did in 1955." http://www.davidbahnsen.com/index.php/2013/11/10/the-rational-optimist-reviewed/ http://www.davidbahnsen.com/index.php/2013/11/10/the-rationa... I read Scott Ridley's book. And I recommend it highly.

Florin_Andrei 12y ago

> my point is that significant trade doesn't necessarily trickle down to the poorest Nothing trickles down to the poorest, spontaneously, almost anywhere in the world.

mudil 12y ago
That's absolutely not true. People live better across the world today than they lived 50 or even 20 years ago. I read statistics somewhere that people in some obscure African country today (can't recall the name) have a living standards of Finland of 20 years ago. Think about this: the major health issue nowadays across the world is obesity, not hunger.
- Florin_Andrei 12y ago
  You're talking about the longest-term possible scale, which is called progress. We were talking about everything below that scale.
- afterburner 12y ago
  The key word was "spontaneously". You have to make sure the money gets there.
  - BugBrother 12y ago
    I'm hellbanned (too easily trollable) so you probably won't see this, but I recommend an article by Krugman which changed my world view: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/1997/03/in_praise_of_cheap_labor.html http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/19...
- adventured 12y ago
  That's practically impossible. Finland in 1994 had a very high standard of living. Their GDP per capita in '94 was equivalent to roughly $40,000 in today's dollar. Maybe Finland of 1914. Nigeria's GDP per capita today, for example, is $3,000.
  - mudil 12y ago
    "the average Botswanan today earns more than the average citizen of Finland did in 1955." http://www.davidbahnsen.com/index.php/2013/11/10/the-rational-optimist-reviewed/ http://www.davidbahnsen.com/index.php/2013/11/10/the-rationa... I read Scott Ridley's book. And I recommend it highly.