David Boaz, Vice President of the Cato Institute posted a link recently from the Brookings Institute post by Wolfgang Fengler about why it's wrong to believe that rich countries are rich because poor countries are poor.
Referencing "dependency theory" the article emphasises why so many people believe in the "fixed-cake fallacy".
In short he says: "…whenever you listen to politicians, watch out if they want you to believe in the fixed cake fallacy. Instead, think of development as a dynamic process. Think of young people not just as those in need of jobs, but also those creating jobs. Think of an interconnected knowledge world, where what you have in your brain and heart matters more than what you have in your pockets. Then you won’t make the same intellectual mistakes I made."
