A live debate begins in the Economist..'The house believes that an economy cannot succeed without a large manufacturing base' Ha-Joon Chang, University of Cambridge is for the motion while Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University is opposing it.
As Moderator Patrick Lane writes in his opening remarks:
This promises to be a lively debate. There are conceptual arguments to be played out. How, for example, is manufacturing defined? What constitutes a "base": having factories on home soil, or keeping hold of intellectual property? What difference does it make if supply chains are spread around the world? And in a debate with such a long history, there are surely plenty of data to be brought to bear too. These are not just questions for Mr Chang or Mr Bhagwati, or for the guest commentators who will contribute later. They are questions for you, too, the readers on the "floor" of our virtual debating chamber. I do hope that you will join in—and that you enjoy the debate.
Your views?
As Moderator Patrick Lane writes in his opening remarks:
This promises to be a lively debate. There are conceptual arguments to be played out. How, for example, is manufacturing defined? What constitutes a "base": having factories on home soil, or keeping hold of intellectual property? What difference does it make if supply chains are spread around the world? And in a debate with such a long history, there are surely plenty of data to be brought to bear too. These are not just questions for Mr Chang or Mr Bhagwati, or for the guest commentators who will contribute later. They are questions for you, too, the readers on the "floor" of our virtual debating chamber. I do hope that you will join in—and that you enjoy the debate.
Your views?
