Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 07:38:52 -0500
From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood-AT-panix.com>
Subject: Re: M-I: Reply to James Heartfield


Louis N Proyect wrote:

>This schema has nothing to do with the East Asian "economic miracle". In
>East Asia, the workers are employed by labor contractors who are in turn
>hired by Nike and other companies. The subcontractors do nicely, but this
>is not the equivalent of the capitalist class of the nineteenth century.
>It is a so-called comprador bourgeoisie. (Please excuse my jargon, old
>stick.)

Lou, it's a bit more complicated than this. South Korean and Taiwanese
firms have become pretty formidable technically and financially and are
themselves now investing abroad, in their poorer neighboring countries and
also in the U.S. and Europe. Their populations have made substantial gains
in education and health. SK itself is the host to very little direct
investment from abroad. Inodnesia and Malaysia are more like you describe
(and those populations haven't made much social progress) but Singapore
certainly isn't. Overall, this part of the world is about the only one to
close some of the income gap with the First World. That's not the only
measure of human progress, for sure - and sometimes, given the social
dislocations and environmental destruction it involves considerable regress
- but there are many stories here, not simply one of immiseration and
subordination.


Doug

--

Doug Henwood
Left Business Observer
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