[lbo-talk] UE's gadget

[Paul]

Ironically, this simple site is a far less misleading (and more humanly 
compelling) way to make international comparisons than the ruling 
alternative - the PPP system (Purchasing Power Parity) developed by the 
World Bank, et al on which tens of millions of dollars have been lavished.

As a teaching tool, a thoughtful social scientist who uses both systems a 
bit will see the point (especially when making comparisons over time and 
through periods of quick change) and see it far quicker than spending hours 
studying value theories and general equilibrium models.  Aside from greater 
accuracy, one system starts with actual labour and material conditions (and 
leads one to think of inequalities); the other system assumes free markets 
in perfect competition making all commodities and labour proportional (so 
one thinks of inherent differences of productivity or 'that is life').

Paul

Doug H. writes:
>[via Eric Lee's Labourstart]
>
>AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF HOW TO USE THE NET
>
>Every once in a while you see a trade union do something really original 
>and innovative on the Internet.  I saw one of these this morning.
>
>If you go to http://www.ueinternational.org/shop/ you'll see what I mean.
>
>A union in the United States wants to show its members and the general 
>public what globalization really means...........