söndag 15 november 2009

Svältkatastrofer analyserade

På samma tema som det tidigare inlägget om frihet och livsmedelsproduktion så har Wall Street Journal publicerat en intressant artikel av Julian Morris från International Policy Network. Artikeln förtjänar att läsas i sin helhet, men några utdrag:

Two European famines of the nineteenth century stand out as exceptions: Ireland from 1845 to 1852, and Finland from 1866 to 1868. Both were the result of oppressive governments restricting the rights of individuals to own land and trade. In both countries, subsistence farming, combined with disease and bad weather, resulted in the death of many.

Since the 1920s, global deaths from drought-related famines have fallen by 99.9%. The reason? Continued specialization and trade, which has skyrocketed the amount of food produced per capita, and has enabled people in drought-prone regions to diversify and become less vulnerable.
/.../
Unfortunately, the West still incentivizes the political elite in Africa to impose rules from the top down, by providing "aid" that lets them ignore their citizens. Let's stop "aiding" these kleptocrats with our taxes. Those leaders who genuinely want to govern will have to stop interfering, so their people can own property and trade.

Amartya Sen skriver: "No substantial famine has ever occurred in any country with a relatively free press", och på samma sätt som tesen att det aldrig bedrivits krig mellan länder med McDonald's-restaunger så kan det garanterat debatteras, men fungerar ändå som intressant tumregel.

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