History Is On The Side Of The

There Is A Big Logical Jump Between Acknowledging The Destructive Nature Of Hyperinflation And Arguing That The Lower The Rate Of Inflation, The Better.

If We Are Really Serious About Preventing Another Crisis Like The 2008 Meltdown We Should Simply Ban Complex Financial Instruments, Unless They Can Be Unambiguously Shown To Benefit Society In The Long Run. This Is What We Do All The Time With Other Products-drugs, Cars, Electrical Products And Many Others.

The Danger Is Not Only That These Austerity Measures Are Killing The European Economies But Also That They Threaten The Very Legitimacy Of European Democracies - Not Just Directly By Threatening The Livelihoods Of So Many People And Pushing The Economy Into A Downward Spiral, But Also Indirectly By Undermining The Legitimacy Of The Political System Through This Backdoor Rewriting Of The Social Contract.

In Manufacturing, Where Mechanization And The Use Of Chemical Processes Are Much Easier, It Is Easier To Raise Productivity Than In Services. In Contrast, By Their Very Nature, Many Service Activities Are Inherently Impervious To Productivity Increase Without Diluting The Quality Of The Product.

As South Korea Shows, Active Participation In International Trade Does Not Require Free Trade. Indeed, Had South Korea Pursued Free Trade And Not Promoted Infant Industries, It Would Not Have Become A Major Trading Nation. It Would Still Be Exporting Raw Materials (e.g., Tungsten Ore, Fish, Seaweed) Or Low-technology, Low-price Products (e.g., Textiles, Garments, Wigs Made With Human Hair) That Used To Be Its Main Export Items In The 1960s.