[governance] [JNC - Forum] On the death of neo-liberalism

[Mueller, Milton L]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org [mailto:governance-
> request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of Anriette Esterhuysen
> 
> Market-fundamentalist approaches to development and planning will stay
> around for a long time. They fit so well with the culture of corruption and
> focus on personal gain that many governments are practicing that it will be
> really hard to get rid of this approach - even if it is not explictly part of policy.

This is not a very accurate statement, Anriette

Corruption is strongly associated with state-control and licensing of industries. Take a look at Brazil's current drama with its state-owned oil company. Or, worse, Venezuela. Entities not subject to the discipline of market forces are far more likely to rely on privilege and corruption to get things done. 

It's odd that you call market liberalism "market fundamentalism." While it is true that some simple-minded folks turned liberal political economy into a formula/dogma, sometimes misapplied, what I see MUCH more often is that opposition to market forces among certain civil society groups is religious and fundamentalist. It is knee-jerk and not based on any empirical facts or understanding of economics. 

At any rate it's hard to argue with the record of liberalization in telecommunications and information. Unless you want to go back to those wonderful days of state-owned monopolies, 2% penetration and 4 year waiting lists for a line. The state-owned PTT is the epitome of a non-neoliberal approach so I hope you are willing to stand up for that paradigm or if not, bite the bullet and admit that a competitive market economy has much to offer for development 

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