Development And Honesty

When I was in kindergarten we played with blocks. The teacher would demonstrate: "Blue, green, yellow, blue, green, yellow, what comes next in the pattern?"

I would always yell "red." The teacher was not amused.

Much life can be described by patterns. The sun comes up every morning. The sun goes down every evening. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall comes every year. Every evening I do homework.

But patterns break. The sun does not come up and go down at the same time each day. Harsh winters are followed by mild ones. I graduate from one school so I can suffer at another.

The problem with poverty and development economists are that they are looking for a pattern that does not exist. There are no magical elixirs. There are not mathematical models or surefire governmental policies that can get a country out of poverty.

Four years ago, I was working with my Dad. I hated it. I was working sixty to seventy hours a week so I could save pennies.

Tonight I am staring at a computer screen looking for diversions from homework and meaningless paper writing. Four years ago, no one could have convinced me that I would be sitting here tonight. No one could have "saved" me from this predicament. And I would not and still do not want "saving."

Development is a classic the chicken or the egg problem. Do you have to be rich to get rich? Does good governance and success precede wealth? Or does wealth precede good governance? I do not know, and no economist knows.

Unlike many of my Ivy League trained colleagues, I am willing to admit my ignorance. I do not know if this makes me better, but at least I am honest.