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From: janw@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Re: (micromotives & macrobehavior)
Message-ID: <28200123@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 14:40:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.28200123
Posted: Wed Sep 25 14:40:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 10:05:11 EDT
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Nf-From: inmet!janw    Sep 25 14:40:00 1985


/* Written  8:07 pm  Sep 21, 1985 by carnes@gargoyle in inmet:net.politics.t */
> Jan Wasilewsky writes:
> 
> >  The problem of poverty hinges on wealth creation, NOT on its
> > distribution.  To verify this, list nations, first in the order of
> > per capita GNP; then according to *per capita consumption of pro-
> > tein*.  This is a  nice indicator because it tells you how the
> > great mass of citizens live. The rich can only eat so much pro-
> > tein, so they cannot distort the picture. I haven't done it be-
> > cause I have no doubt of the result. Distribution takes care of
> > itself, one way or another.
> 
> I don't understand this paragraph, so I hope Jan will elaborate.  Let
> me suggest that empirical research often holds surprises for those
> who are confident in their theories, so I'd recommend it.  

You are right: this is imprecise. I meant  that  the  rank  of  a
country as a per capita protein consumer should (if my assumption
in the first sentence of your quote is correct)  strongly  corre-
late  with  its  rank in the per capita income table. I believe
the correlation would be even stronger if personal income instead
of GNP is listed.

That would mostly affect the case of the  USSR  where  government
military  consumption  constitutes a large chunk of GNP (official
American estimates are based on nothing  reliable,  but  Sakharov
once  estimated 40% to 50%). It doesn't matter much since no reli-
able GNP data exists on the USSR, either.

 As for my not doing the calculations - don't you see, that is the
beauty  of  it:  I  made the prediction without looking first: an
honest bet. (Of course, on my part, it was based on some idea  of
the  situation  in  some  of  the  countries. It is not a blind
shot).  Anyway, here's your chance to prove me wrong.   Honestly,
if  you    do,   I'll  change my mind about relative unimportance
of distribution system vs. production.   (And  if   you  make   a
reciprocal promise, I'll agree to do the research).

> I'm not sure I understand Jan's point about the per capita
> consumption of protein, but I will mention the case of Zaire, which
> has one of the lowest such rates in Africa, if not the world.  

And its per capita income (in 1975) was $127.

		Jan Wasilewsky