To: GraceZ who wrote (8060 ) 4/17/2006 1:49:17 PM From: ahhaha Respond to but he's not weighing in on the question that was asked first, which country is structured more capitalistic, US or China. Certainly there are other forms of capitalism but there is a reason why the British/American form rose above the rest. A lot of historians would attribute the increasing riches in the US to it's military power, but it's military power is more likely a result of it's rising wealth. The thing that secure property rights along with the rule of law provide for is the ability to transact with strangers, even enemies. This is especially true if those property rights are attached to land because the security isn't moveable and the value is more readily public information. Something as simple as getting utilities to your home become problematic in a country without free title to land. China is getting its day in the Sun precisely because they impoverished their people with their anti-capitalism. Now they give a few of those rights back (the ones we take for granted and our forefathers died for) causing an explosion of industrial development. They've made some progress moving up to the level of the rest of the world but they can hardly be called the best example of capitalism at work. The biggest reason they are working is because they are working for us! They are working for us not because they are the most productive or most efficient but because they are so poor and destitute in comparison.
