We are finding the same arguments being used internally with Indian States - Most pernicious is the argument for corporate farming, and farming for only the market and food security being defined as the capacity to buy food, or get food stamps, or ration, when over 60% of food consumed in India is from subsistence farming.. and thanks to the new laws will be Nationally traded and Contracted Farming!!
Keeping Poor Countries Poor: The Absurdity of Comparative Advantage https://janataweekly.org/keeping-poor-countries-poor-the-absurdity-of-comparative-advantage/ Rod Driver July 18, 2021
One of the worst economic theories is comparative advantage:
1. Firstly, the main advantage that most poor countries have is cheap labour.
2. The second flaw is that many poor countries have been encouraged to focus on growing one crop for export. growing crops for export leads to a decrease in farming of food for domestic consumption. The same is the case for mining
3. The third, and perhaps most important, flaw is that comparative advantage is based upon what each country is capable of doing now. The theory ignores the evidence that with the right forms of teaching, training, investment and long-term planning, countries can develop the capacity to do more sophisticated tasks in future.
Fairtrade is only a partial solution to the problems of poor countries. The amount that growers are paid is still low.
Some people and organisations are now pushing for a global minimum wage, to try to ensure that every worker can receive a reasonable wage for their work.
the best way to be successful at trade is for a country to import raw materials, which are usually cheap, and export manufactured goods, which are usually more expensive and more profitable.
(comment.. but this too could be the problem: as the next financialiisation ensures that the investment and profit are exports, and raw materials are expropriated, pollution is localised, while wages of the labouring classes are kept low. Even for start ups, the innovation and risks are taken locally, and when successful, technology as well as mass markets moved to foreign companies.. )