Building a Hong Kong in Africa?

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Building a Hong Kong in Africa?

by Carl-Gustav Linden PrintE-mail.Share4 comments
He's one of the fathers of the new economic growth theory, and he's been on the short list for a Nobel price in economics. He's founded companies, including online teaching firm Aplia.

Now, Professor Paul Romer of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business is leaving the campus to pursue a new, somewhat startling private endeavor. Using Western know-how and bureaucracies, he wants to build modern metropolises in one of the most challenging areas of the world: Africa.

"I am embarking on a whole new direction in my career," Romer said during a recent meeting in Menlo Park, Calif., with Swedish, Finnish, and Pakistani journalists. "I am going to put my whole career on the line with this new idea."

Paul Romer
(Credit: Stanford University)

The idea is to create city-states along the coast of Africa that can become economic hubs for the region and at the same time be insulated from the continent's notorious corruption and political chaos. In a sense, it's what the British did with Hong Kong in the 19th century when China was relatively unstable.

Romer envisions a Nordic country, perhaps, emerging as a champion for his concept. The European host could accelerate economic growth by taking charge of police forces, jails, and courts. Local government would take care of the rest.

A modern form of colonialism? To many, it might seem like it, but the colonizer would be a "disinterested trustee government" that would preside over a form of what Romer calls "delegated democracy."

"The British raised tens of millions of people out of poverty" in the colonial era, Romer said. "Hong Kong is the most successful development program in economic history."

Romer said he would not trust the United States to serve as a steward in Africa, and he even doesn't think even the European Union is up for the task.

A cynic, however, could also point out that Nordic countries have been, historically, relatively homogeneous and isolated and have not had to deal with conflicting ethnic and religious interests like Britain, the U.S., and several African nations. Thus, what makes Scandinavia successful makes it unsuited for an African voyage, he asserts. But Romer prefers to focus on the Nordic countries and their history of conflict mediation and peacekeeping operations, working closely with the U.N.

He has discussed his idea, which might strike some as radical, in small circles for some time, and now he'd like to influence the wider debate on development issues, such as the effectiveness of development aid.

He does not believe in the philosophy of many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that national governments are best avoided altogether in favor of directly reaching needy Africans. Good governance requires more discipline and a guarantee that the party in power does not abuse its power.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9910823-7.html#ixzz1PTWtfxi4

水晶晶

123jp 發表於 2011-6-17 05:06

                               
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Building a Hong Kong in Africa?

by Carl-Gustav Linden PrintE-mail.Share4 comments

用Google翻譯如下,句語不大通順,有錯請通知:
2008年4月3日2:30 PM PDT
香港建設在非洲？
由卡爾 - 古斯塔夫林登
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股份
4個評論
他的父親是一個新的經濟增長理論，他一直在短名單諾貝爾經濟學價格。 他創辦的公司，包括網上教學公司 Aplia 。
現在， 保羅羅默教授 ，斯坦福大學商學院是離開校園去追求新的，多少有些令人吃驚的私人努力。 用西方的知識和官僚，他要打造現代大都市於一體的最具挑戰性的地區的世界： 非洲 。
“我踏上了一個全新的方向，我的職業生涯，”羅默說，在最近一次會議在門洛帕克，加利福尼亞州，瑞典，芬蘭，巴基斯坦的記者。 “我打算把我的整個職業生涯就行了這個新的想法。”

保羅羅默
（來源：斯坦福大學）
這個想法 是建立城邦 沿海岸的非洲可以成為該地區的經濟樞紐，並在同一時間被隔絕大陸的臭名昭著的腐敗和政治混亂。 從某種意義上說，它就是英國曾與香港在19世紀時，中國是相對不穩定。
羅默設想一個北歐國家，也許，作為一個新興的冠軍，他的概念。 歐洲主機可以加速經濟增長，採取負責的警察部隊，監獄和法院。 當地政府將照顧休息。
一個現代形式的殖民主義？ 對許多人來說，它似乎喜歡它，但殖民者將是一個“無私受託人的政府”，將主持形式羅默什麼所謂的“委派民主”。
“英國提出了數千萬人民擺脫貧困”，在殖民時代，羅默說。 “香港是最成功的發展計劃經濟的歷史。”
羅默說，他將不信任美國，作為管家在非洲，他甚至不覺得即使是歐洲聯盟為任務。
一個憤世嫉俗，但是，也指出，北歐國家一直在歷史上，相對單一和孤立的，並沒有處理種族和宗教衝突的利益如英國，美國和一些非洲國家。 因此，如何使斯堪的納維亞半島的成功使得它不適合用於非洲的航程，他斷言。 但羅默喜歡集中在北歐國家和他們的歷史衝突的調解和維和行動，與聯合國密切合作
他討論了他的想法，這可能打擊一些激烈，小圈子一段時間，現在他想影響更廣泛的辯論發展問題，如發展援助的有效性。
他不相信在哲學的許多非政府組織（NGO）的國家的政府完全贊成最好避免直接接觸有需要的非洲人。 良好的管理需要更多的紀律和保證黨的權力不濫用權力。


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9910823-7.html#ixzz1PUd2h6PF

tboy2046

發展非洲,又只是新一輪的經濟入侵,也許當非洲都都市化後,這地球在這輪的歷史真有機會劃上句號.