From: Charles Hixson (charleshixsn@earthlink.net)
Date: Mon Mar 24 2003 - 11:08:04 MST
Michael Wiik wrote:
> ...
> Hmmm, this bought to mind this old story about AIDS in Africa:
>
> <<At the World Bank, an internal study found what South African
> economist Alan Whiteside ridiculed as a "silver lining" in the plague.
>
> "If the only effect of the AIDS epidemic were to reduce the population
> growth rate, it would increase the growth rate of per capita income in
> any plausible economic model," said the June 1992 report by the bank's
> population and human resources department. Exactly that had happened
> in the 14th century, the report said, with the bubonic plague. The
> report did not conclude that AIDS would be a benefit to Africa, even
> in strictly economic terms, but it hardly marked a clarion call to
> action.
> ...
> -Mike
That *did* happen in the aftermath of the black plague, but then medical
costs then were quite small. It also lead to the collapse of the feudal
system. But if I look at what the causative factors were, I don't think
that they apply in Africa. It's hard to know for certain, but I don't
*think* they do. (N.B.: He did say *if*. And with a false following
expression. So I suppose it must be a true statement, by the rules of
logic.)
-- -- Charles Hixson Gnu software that is free, The best is yet to be.
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