> And, to revert to my original point, the mainstream 20th C left development
> theories have been disastrous, virtually without exception, when applied to
> _developing_ countries.
Russia and Eastern Europe posted respectable growth rates during the heyday of Communism; Mao's China, Ho's Vietnam and Fidel's Cuba accomplished great things in land reform, basic industrialization and education.
Most of the 20th century's economic success stories (Taiwan, South Korea, China, Malaysia) were the product of a socialistic state apparatus cracking down hard on capital, investing in brain cells, rigging local markets to succeed against fierce global competition, etc. The secret of the developmental state is "No brain, no gain".
-- DRR