From: Amara Graps (Amara.Graps@mpi-hd.mpg.de)
Date: Thu Oct 18 2001 - 16:17:44 MDT
Brian D Williams:
> The Mystery of Capital
> "Why capitalism triumphs in the west and fails everywhere else."
> Hernando De Soto
> ISBN 0-465-01614-6
> U.S. $27.50
> This is a fascinating book and I would highly recommend it to
> anyone interested in either free markets or seriously interested in
> helping out disadvantaged countries/peoples.
I'm sorry that you didn't make it the Extro conference this year,
Brian. You would have seen Mark Miller highlight this book in his
presentation. What may or may not have been obvious in his talk is
that Mark's present focus of his work is to implement some of the
aspects from this book (as well as his own related ideas).
It is difficult for libertarians to tell people 10 years after the
"Fall of Communism" why those people's (in former communist countries)
lives are not significantly better now. For me personally it's sad,
since I was one of those who used to tell people that as soon as the
communists disappeared, and free market mechanisms took hold, then
their economic lives would be much better (I think that you know that
I hold both an American and a Latvian passport). Mark has convinced me
now that this book can explain some important reasons why those
people's lives are not signficantly better, as well as what can be
done to change that situation. It certainly is a cause to be
passionate about!
No, I haven't read this book yet, but it's been on my reading list
in-queue since Mark spent some time talking about it with me in June,
and I'm looking forward to it.
BTW, we need to get Mark Miller and Hernando De Soto together. They
have not met each other yet.
Amara
--
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Amara Graps, PhD | Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik
Heidelberg Cosmic Dust Group | Saupfercheckweg 1
+49-6221-516-543 | 69117 Heidelberg, GERMANY
Amara.Graps@mpi-hd.mpg.de * http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/dustgroup/~graps
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"Never fight an inanimate object." - P. J. O'Rourke
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