Does Democracy Help the Economy?

A very interesting (if not emotionally charged) question that one of the Ted talks asks.

Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China’s authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth — leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back? Huang’s answer may surprise you.

No, I am not saying Canada should go totalitarian (any more than it might already be (sorry, I was channelling my inner NDP)). Still, it is a fascinating argument about whether Democracy’s intrinsic “… let’s all be fair …” rules impede actual free enterprise? Yes, it does, but I am not trading Democracy to make the business easier. Under one-party rule (to put it as politely as possible), corruption is much easier to run rampant, so I will take my Democracy thanks.

Other Ted Talks

• Barry Schwartz asks why have we lost our financial wisdom? Darn good question.
• Julian Treasure talks about how Noise Affects our Health and 8 steps to keep sound health.
• Does Democracy stifle economic growth? Yasheng Huang thinks so.
• Cities As a Mathematical Model is an exciting model idea
• Seth Godin talks about how the technology landscape is littered with broken things.
• Does Education need to change? Sir Ken Robinson thinks so, and I am inclined to agree with him.
• How do we Innovate to a zero energy footprint? Bill Gates has some ideas, it seems.
• Can low cost eye care be world class? Thulasiraj Ravilla thinks so.
• Rewiring the Brain may be needed in the future, given how damaged some brains have become due to how fragile the brain is.
• Cliff Stohl was the original Hacker-Catcher but he also espouses the value to continual learning
• Graham Hill wonders can you be more happy with less stuff? Less clutter is a good thing, we know that, so maybe he isn’t far off.
• There is a right and wrong way to tie your shoes? I did not know that, until Terry Moore explained it to me.
• Nigel Marsh wonders if it is possible to create a work life balance? Not sure how that works.
• Does anyone know what technology wants? Kevin Kelly thinks he has an idea.
• TED’s Chris Anderson says the rise of web video is driving a worldwide phenomenon he calls Crowd Accelerated Innovation
• Did we get different consumer behaviour after the 2008 crisis? Not really. That’s why we had the 2023 crisis.
• Can social media predict epidemics or pandemics? We saw something like this with COVID-19.
• Jay Walker seems to think that English is the second language in the world? Might be right.
• How can we combat modern slavery? Most major economic empires or empires in general were built on slave labour, how do we break this cycle?
• What is the Bio-Future of Joint Replacement? Are we just going to use metal and plastics?
• Mandlebrot wishes to talk to you about the roughness of shapes. He has written about Turbulence in Financial Markets
• Philip Zombardo talks about the psychology of time, which is always interesting.
• Measure What Makes Life Worthwhile, Chip Conley may have some ideas for you.
• Billy Graham talking about technology and theology? Pastor Graham is a strong orator, not sure I buy into all his messages.
• What happens on losing everything in a fire ? A very interesting question answered in this very interesting Ted series chat by David Hoffman.
• A former salesman tells you that sometimes the Simple Answers are the right answers.
• The Canadian Medical System can take its time on some surgeries, but two years for a hip?
• Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics is a typical theme but in this case with a bit of tongue in cheek.
• Can Money buy happiness? According to Benjamin Wallace not really, but your misery might be more enjoyable?
• Temple Grandin talks about being Autistic and her fight to live in our strange world.
• James Randi’s skepticism helped debunk a lot of hokum that arose in the 20th century.
• With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves.
• The Spectre of Denial of vaccines and medical solutions is now the normal view of things, and that is quite worrying.