Information in Context

     Ha-Joon Chang’s 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism provided an interesting alternative to the kind of economy in which we currently participate in the United States while also informing the reader that there is no truly “free market” in the present world.  With his bold claims and powerful opinions throughout the book backed by his research, obvious authority, and strong credentials, he certainly caused me to take another look at the market and general economy, as well as all of the assumptions that I make and have been told to make when making and analyzing decisions.  However, while I was impressed by his ideas and innovative ways of thinking, I found it a bit hard to wholly accept his claims, as I felt that some of his evidence could have been stronger in full context.
            Two instances of incomplete information stood out to me most while reading the text.  In “Thing 3”, Chang compares the incomes of two bus drivers from Stockholm and New Delhi, whom he names Sven and Ram respectively.  Ram makes 18 rupees, while Sven makes the equivalent of 870 rupees, 130 kronas (Chang 24).  Chang compares these two incomes using a strict currency conversions and then states that because Sven makes fifty times more than Ram, he should be fifty times as productive as the free market.  However, Chang does not take into account the purchasing power of these incomes, because Sven’s income needs to be much larger than Ram’s to survive in Stockholm.  Consumer prices are approximately 64% lower in New Delhi than they are in Stockholm, while rent is about 79% lower (Numbeo).  This makes the difference in income more understandable, and I think that supporting information such as this would add context to Chang’s evidence and weaken the arguments of those who oppose his views from the beginning.

            -Bridget

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