Quote Originally Posted by Fuchs View Post
No dictator has ever followed such a long-winded and slow path.
Venezuela is a good example of a government using dependence-building dole-outs to achieve and sustain support. Works pretty well until the candybag runs out, or in Venezuela's case until oil production starts plunging because you're using the revenue for politics instead of putting it back into the industry that lays the golden eggs.

Wouldn't have worked nearly as well without oil in the picture, or without very high oil prices keeping the candybag full. Certainly not a very good way to build an economy, but your average populist demagogue is less interested in building an economy than in maintaining personal control.

There is no universal path to economic development. What works in one place may not work in another, and there are always tradeoffs: nothing ever works perfectly anywhere. Fundamentalism in economics - whether capitalist, socialist, or any other sort - is as dangerous as it is in politics, religion, or anywhere else.

In terms of Surferbeetle's economic systems, I'd only point out that these systems, like political systems, have to grow. They can be cultivated, but they cannot be installed. We can't bring an economy in a box, any more than we can bring a government in a box. Since people will always create an economy, it's often useful to focus on identifying and addressing obstacles to economic development, both governmental and private.