Back In the USSR

In Slate, Kim Iskyan surveys the Market/Leninist tide in Russia, where economic liberalization is speeding up while independent media and individual liberties disappear.

Comments

[Reg]

Isn't economic liberty part of individual liberty?
If libertarians can't even get that right, the movement is in trouble.

[dhex]

"economic liberalization" not "economic liberty"

[Lefturn]

sounds like the US....

remember other 9-11 Chile?

[Jean Bart]

John Thacker,

Economic liberalization is a rather mixed bag regarding political liberty; for every South Korea you've got a Singapore. In other words, I do not accept determinist arguments based on economics from capitalists anymore than I do so from Marxists.

[arjay]

JB

My mother (80 yrs old) loves Singapore because she can walk down the street at 11 pm and feel safe. She does not give a second thought to the "Friedmanite" policies (which she despises, if she does think about them). When I point out that this is not so positive for young folks (who might be a lttle rowdy, but generally harmless), she cannot answer. One sacrifices liberty for security I guess. And frankly in spite of everything I cannot dispute her conclusions.

[Rick Barton]

Jean Bart wrote:
"Economic liberalization is a rather mixed bag regarding political liberty"

But there is certainly a strong corelation between the two and I'm including personal/civil liberty in "political liberty". You can see it, even in the Arab world. Look at Dubai of the UAE (most of the rest of the Arab nations as well as Israel would do well to emulate Dubai's free market policies) with both a high degree of economic AND personal freedom. Their religious extremists are kept a safe distance from the state.(another aspect that the rest of the Arab governments as well as the Israeli goverment would do well to emulate.

[Jean Bart]

Ricka Barton,

Correlation does not equal causation.

[joe]

By the way, the story had nothing to do with Marxism/Leninnism.

[Rick Barton]

Jean Bart,

True; Correlation does not equal causation. Also, since were talking about a social, rather then physical phenomenon our use of the word "cause" must be a more restrained one. (although, the more government or any other type COERCION present, the more we may impute a "strong" use of "cause")
However, I think the minimizing of government power that allows economic freedom does strongly tend to allow social freedom as well because it seperates economic "power" from political power. An good explanation of this may be found in: "Capitalism and Freedom" by Milton Friedman (chapter 1:"The relation between economic freedom and political freedom")

[John Thacker]

Correlation does indeed not equal causation. However, correlation is indeed supporting data for a theory which already exists. Making a plausible case for economic liberty being generally reinforcing of personality liberty is of course still required, but it has been done, fairly convincingly to my mind, by others, such as Dr. Friedman.

Correlation is not causation, surely, but certainly the existence of a strong correlation begs for some kind of explanation. In general, whether in science or not, the most substantially convincing argument which fits the existing data tends to be accepted.