Economist Dambisa Moyo atttracted much well-deserved publicity for her conclusions about the ineffectiveness of most government-based international aid ? conclusions that mirrored those of White Man?s Burden author William Easterly.
It?s unfortunate, then, that Newsweek documents some of Moyo?s views on other topics. Some are good:
Moyo?s argument is that Western governments unwisely encouraged their citizens to borrow too much and sink the money into the unproductive investment of a home, with all the subprime consequences that we have seen since. They set up unaffordable Ponzi state-pension schemes.
Other ideas? Well, perhaps she should leave the China adulation to such stellar thinkers as Thomas Friedman.
Moyo condemns the short-term outlook of Western politics and half admires China?s ability to make quick, tough decisions unencumbered by democratic constraints. She cites the moment when China killed 2 million birds in a matter of days to avert avian flu, while America failed to kill any.
I won?t even delve into the line about President Obama and his bipartisanship.
