okay, it's the continuing commentary of friedman in bangalore.
Op-Ed Columnist: The Secret of Our Sauce
something struck me after a late last fall when travelling in asia (another armchair economic analysis):
china's development is *because* of the government, india's is *despite* of the government.
as friedman writes unapologetically at the end of this article, bangalore is a tough city to work and live in. sure, it has some of the most sophisticated infrastructure in all of india, but it's still rife with problems. and all these beautiful buildings rising up everywhere function as indepndent economies, separated from the government as much as possible.
you don't see that in beijing or shanghai. corporations (state-run for the most part) meld into the beautifully laid highways and ports of these chinese megapolises.
indians love to discuss about why india will rise above china over the next fifty years - arguments range from the patriotic to the racist, economic to the political - but invariably fall upon the fact that 'democracy will prevail'. personally, i hope both will rise up - heresy to whisper in these parts, but anything that provides a better quality of life to two billion people - i can't oppose. additionally, i don't know how much i buy the argument that democracy is provides a better ground for development, though i'm sure my old professor dietrich rueschemeyer at brown undergrad would convincingly argue otherwise (See book: capitalist development and democracy).
but re: innovative thought. i have to agree with friedman when he says that the american education system allows for flexibility in intellectual development. people in india can not fathom why i would take eight years, plus an additional year out, to get a medical degree that can be obtained in five years in india. why would i possibly need to study development and politics to be an effective doctor? why would i spend a year away from school to practice in india? i'm not going to write more about this - i'm sure people who are reading this have bought into one system or another.
back to my last thought... america might be a more innovative society. but i wonder... does that innovation translate into money? america can innovate, but the indians and chinese will find way to make those innovations cheaper and more efficient.
and back to the elections - i've read that only about 4-10% of america's current job loss is due to outsourcing. so what's happened to the other 90 or so percent? that's what bush and kerry have to answer over the next long long eight months.
Posted by chaguturu at March 8, 2004 04:29 AM | TrackBack