tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post1688101494264620010..comments2023-10-31T00:46:35.316+13:00Comments on Anti-Dismal: Minto on property rights (updated x2)Paul Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731003529546075700noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post-35759119092252789102008-01-24T16:56:00.000+13:002008-01-24T16:56:00.000+13:00There is also a buried proposition in Minto that t...There is also a buried proposition in Minto that the poor in the US are as badly off as the poor elsewhere. Evidence to the contrary is provided in the 2004paper EU VERSUS USA by<BR/>Fredrik Bergström & Robert Gidehag at http://www.timbro.se/bokhandel/pdf/9175665646.pdf.<BR/><BR/>See for example the tables around p 22 associated with the comment that:<BR/><BR/>"What does it mean to be poor in the USA? Major living standard surveys carried out in<BR/>the USA at regular intervals show the poor to have a surprisingly high standard of living;<BR/>see Table 3:2. A large proportion own their homes and have one or more cars. Domestic<BR/>appliances of different kinds are also relatively common, as are one or more TV sets complete<BR/>with video or DVD. Material prosperity, in other words, is high and not associated<BR/>with the material standard of living which many people in Europe probably associate with<BR/>poverty. Good economic development, in other words, results in even poor people being<BR/>relatively well off. Quite simply, it is better to be poor in a rich country than in a poor one."<BR/><BR/>If Minto's concern is not with the welfare of the poor but with inequality then the implicit proposition appears to be the utopian one that luck, skill and effort should play no role in determining outcomes.<BR/><BR/>At a more down to earth level, the notion that property rights are not important to those who have few possessions seems to deny the problem of relatively high rates of crime in poorer communities. But who would be hurt more by the theft of one's car or groceries, a poor person or a rich person? The law-abiding poor surely need the law to prevail in respect of personal security and property.<BR/> <BR/>Is Minto's generalised concern for the poor superficial? <BR/><BR/>By the way the Herald has published a respond by Owen McShane published a response to M's article.<BR/><BR/>Bryce WAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post-38618544777300091732008-01-11T19:45:00.000+13:002008-01-11T19:45:00.000+13:00May I just say a sincere 'Thank you' for the clear...May I just say a sincere 'Thank you' for the clear and simple you have explained things. Minto is a stirrer whose words I've never trusted. A gut feeling. Now I understand and can read further.<BR/>Thank you again.<BR/><BR/>AVGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com