Poverty Is Not Caused; Wealth Is Caused
14 May 2006
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Samuel Loewenberg alleges that Niger's deep poverty is caused by its deep poverty, unrelieved by adequate foreign aid (Letters, May 14). This semi-circular explanation misses the mark entirely.
According to economists James Gwartney and Robert Lawson, Niger's people are poor because they are among the world’s most oppressed.* They are prevented from prospering by high barriers to international trade, enterprise-crushing credit and labor regulations, an engorged government, and lack of secure property rights.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
* http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/efw2005/efw2005-1.pdf
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Samuel Loewenberg alleges that Niger's deep poverty is caused by its deep poverty, unrelieved by adequate foreign aid (Letters, May 14). This semi-circular explanation misses the mark entirely.
According to economists James Gwartney and Robert Lawson, Niger's people are poor because they are among the world’s most oppressed.* They are prevented from prospering by high barriers to international trade, enterprise-crushing credit and labor regulations, an engorged government, and lack of secure property rights.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
* http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/efw2005/efw2005-1.pdf
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Monday February 26, 2007 at 2:07pm