sexta-feira, junho 11, 2004

O melhor resumo sobre Desenvolvimento Econômico que já li (ou pelo menos o mais engraçado)

Do meu livro de humor em desenvolvimento econômico favorito: "Eat the Rich". Hoje eu o redescobri ao percorrer um relativamente longo trajeto de ônibus...

A questão principal:

I had one fundamental question about economics: Why do some places prosper and thrive while others just suck? It's not a matter of brains. No part of the earth (with the possible exception of Brentwood) is dumber than Beverly Hills, and the residents are wading in gravy. In Russia, meanwhile, where chess is a spectator sport, they`re boiling stones for soup. Nor can education be the reason. Fourth graders in the American school system know what a condom is but aren`t sure about 9 x 7. Natural resources aren`t the answer. Africa has diamonds, gold, uranium, you name it. Scandinavia has little and is frozen besides. Maybe culture is the key, but wealthy regions such as the local mall are famous for lacking it". [p.1]

O que gostaríamos de ver:

We`re so close to being rich. Everybody in the world could be rich as hell. The benighted masses of India could quit pedaling bicycle rickshaws and start dragging Lear jets through the streets of Calcutta. Indians in the Brazilian rain forest could be singing in the rain. The endangered fauna would wear thong bikinis: "Save the Girl from Ipanema". (...) Money won't solve all our problems. but money will give us options - let us choose the problems we want to have. Leisure conglomerates may open franchises in Bosnia and Herzegovina where Muslims and Serbs can blast each other in paintball wars. Self-destructive individuals will still exist, but instead of dying from drug overdoses in paytoilet stalls, they will be able to expire in luxury at the Chateau Marmont like John Belushi. The Taliban fundamentalists might continue to keep women in seclusion, but they could do so by opening a Bergdorf Goodman`s in Kabul. They`ll never see those wives again". [p.232]

Como chegar lá:

. Hard work
. Education
. Responsibility
. Property rights
. Rule of law
. Democratic government

"Actually, most parents didn`t get all those item into the lecture. In fact, I`ve never heard of a parent saying, "Listen here, if I catch you running around without property rights again, I`ll take away your cell phone". (...)[p.233-4]


A melhor lição, para mim:

"If we want the whole world to be rich, we need to start loving wealth. In the difference between poverty and plenty, the problem is the poverty, not the difference. Wealth is good". [p.243]

O leitor (a leitora e/ou o politicamente correto) vai preferir o livro do Easterly ou o de Jones. Eu entendo. Mas se existisse uma tradução deste livro em português, e se eu fosse aluno de Economia (na verdade, nunca deixarei de ser), creio, as aulas de Desenvolvimento Econômico seriam mais divertidas.... :D