A Message to the Haves and the Have-nots

Abstract

Compare the economic progress of two economies. One has little in the way of buildings or machinery, has an uneducated population with high birth and death rates, and produces little except by way of subsistence agriculture. In bad years it cannot produce enough food for its own people, and the pressure to survive drives out any concern for the local environment or wildlife. The other country has buildings, machinery and equipment in plenty, and provides its citizens with housing, food, entertainment and all the other features of advanced industrial society. Its concerns are with the quality of life, including the protection of endangered species and threats to the environment, across the globe. Which of these countries is the more successful? What can economics tell us about that success, how it is achieved, and how it reflects the motivation and behaviour of the people involved?