Fredrik Erixon
Be afraid of a replay of '70s-style protectionism
IPN Opinion article
WORLD leaders have pledged that there will be no repeat of the 1930s, when tit-for-tat protectionism turned a recession caused by the Wall Street crash into a decade-long depression. But it is a replay of the creeping protectionism of the 1970s that we should worry about.
DFID critics speak out: White Paper policies would perpetuate poverty, poor education and ill health
IPN Press release
Curse of Unfair Trade
IPN Opinion article
Fredrik Erixon, chief economist of the Swedish think-tank Timbro, argues that Western aid has "largely been counterproductive" for half a century. In a devastating critique of the billions of pounds that have poured into Africa since independence, he said: "It has crowded out private sector investments, undermined democracy and enabled despots to continue with oppressive policies, perpetuating poverty."
