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Women of Strength
Kamala Sarup
Communism cannot solve poverty in Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal, November 24 — In the social sciences, theories don't get us very far. Instead, we should look at past economic systems throughout history of the USSR, CPR, Egypt, Great Britain and the thousands of small communist and anarchist utopias around the world. Communism was able to reduce the lowest levels of poverty, but could not advance the general material welfare of society. Internal violence was reduced, but not necessarily international violence. The only societies that had successful communist-style economies were primitive native tribes, e.g., American Indians, where most goods were owned by the tribe and personal possessions were few.
It is true that democracies, autocracies, etc., are forms of government that have little connection with economic welfare. To understand that subject, we have to look at economic systems, e.g., capitalism, socialism or communism. Any of the above-mentioned governments can and have worked with these different economic models with success (and failure). However, current forms of Western capitalism are heavily modified by governments’ "rules of the game" that ameliorate the unfavorable side effects, such as economic depression, excessive inequality or poverty.
Furthermore, feudal, socialist and communist economies all over the globe, from small utopias (i.e. New Harmony, the Lanark and the Oneida in the United States) to colossal nations (i.e. Russia and China), with very few exceptions, have given up on their attempts to establish an equal society, because equality and incentive are incompatible.
In Nepal, the leftists and the Maoists have ultimately failed to provide an adequate prescription to improve the economy for per capita income advancement. They are, for the most part, obsolete today. Additionally, all attempts by leftist governments to create classless societies merely resulted in replacing the capitalist upper classes with bureaucratic classes.
Meanwhile, the general population in Nepal remains as poor as ever. The best that the new Maoist government can do is to redistribute income from the rich to the poor, as was done in revolutionary Russia and Cuba, but then what?
Inexorably, the lack of incentives under socialism, communism or any other leftist brand of economics will lead to malaise and poverty in Nepal.
Keywords
Nepal economics communism capitalism poverty
It is true that democracies, autocracies, etc., are forms of government that have little connection with economic welfare. To understand that subject, we have to look at economic systems, e.g., capitalism, socialism or communism. Any of the above-mentioned governments can and have worked with these different economic models with success (and failure). However, current forms of Western capitalism are heavily modified by governments’ "rules of the game" that ameliorate the unfavorable side effects, such as economic depression, excessive inequality or poverty.
Furthermore, feudal, socialist and communist economies all over the globe, from small utopias (i.e. New Harmony, the Lanark and the Oneida in the United States) to colossal nations (i.e. Russia and China), with very few exceptions, have given up on their attempts to establish an equal society, because equality and incentive are incompatible.
In Nepal, the leftists and the Maoists have ultimately failed to provide an adequate prescription to improve the economy for per capita income advancement. They are, for the most part, obsolete today. Additionally, all attempts by leftist governments to create classless societies merely resulted in replacing the capitalist upper classes with bureaucratic classes.
Meanwhile, the general population in Nepal remains as poor as ever. The best that the new Maoist government can do is to redistribute income from the rich to the poor, as was done in revolutionary Russia and Cuba, but then what?
Inexorably, the lack of incentives under socialism, communism or any other leftist brand of economics will lead to malaise and poverty in Nepal.
KeywordsNepal economics communism capitalism poverty
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