Comments on Social Econ Blog: Obama Gets It

I think the biggest problem with exporting democra...

2008-04-04T16:33:00.000-04:00

I think the biggest problem with exporting democracy is the idea that democracy is the tightest solution for everyone, in all cultures, in all countries. It just might be that case that the system of government initially designed by Romans 2,000 years ago is not meant to be exported all over the world for everybody--sounds like colonialism, doesn't it?

It's also pretty busted for us to be all about sending democracy to Iraq when we're also responsible for exporting dictators to countries in South and Central America.

I agree. The problem with Democracy is that it doe...

2008-04-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

I agree. The problem with Democracy is that it doesn't provide basic needs for people, it provides a structure in which people have a process through wich they can demand what they need. I often question whether democracy is even the right choice for places like Iraq. Is it really fair for us to assume that our way of doing things will fix their problems? Wouldn't it be better for them to have a dictator that maximized every citizen's access to food clean water and solid infrastructure, instead of a democratic leader that aloowed them to ask for these things?

Maslow's hierarchy is also highly relevant when it...

2008-03-31T12:15:00.000-04:00

Maslow's hierarchy is also highly relevant when it comes to environmental problems. Shellenberger and Nordhaus, authors of Breakthrough, discuss how people can't dedicate energy to solving environmental problems if they don't first have their own needs met (e.g., tribes in the Amazon don't want to protect the rainforest at the risk of having their family starve). The book proposes that a new environmentalism is crucial: one that recognizes that material needs must be met before environmental problems can be fully addressed. This type of environmentalism is interesting in part for its inclusivity. It breaks down the human/nature dualism that some environmentalists hold that idealizes nature over man, and believes nature should be protected at any human cost. Shellenberger and Nordhaus see both areas (human needs and environmental needs) as inextricably linked.

this post is interesting in how it mixes psych the...

2008-03-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

this post is interesting in how it mixes psych theory with econ language. Obama's "dignity" focus relies on Maslow's Hierarchy. The basic idea is that people need to fulfill basic human needs like eating, shelter, and safety, before they get to higher order needs, like Democracy. Duh! It is amazing how long it has taken us to realize that we can't export democracy with strategic warfare, and instead need to actually create institutions that are democratic. Clean water! Santitation! Infrastructure! Fucking Amazing Concepts!