Jude defends Mugabe

[Michael Pollak]

On Thu, 27 Apr 2000, Patrick Bond wrote:

> Reacting to growing unpopularity and two Harare food riots, Mugabe
> finally invoked three pro-poor policies in 1997-98: reimposition of
> price controls on staple foods,

Can these actually work long-term, Patrick?  I thought that by themselves
they always drove down agricultural production, employment and investment,
leading to a vicious circle where the subsidy keeps rising and the farmers
are worse off.  But I'd love to be wrong about this.  Do you talk about
this policy in your Uneven Zimbabwe book?

Great post, BTW -- hugely informative.

Michael

__________________________________________________________________________
Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com