I am currently reading a wonderful book "Poor Story" by British author Giles Bolton who lived and worked in Africa with the British aid agency. His book might as well been called "Horrifying stories" I love the fact that he addresses the issue of subsides in developed nations. He also talks about Tariffs where rich nations can get away with imposing them, poor nations would have to answer to the World Bank and the IMF if they think to impose tariffs. It's a great read, and Mr. Bolton keeps it fun with the little stories included in boxes throughout the book.
Every cow in the States is subsidized by 3 dollars a day, the same cow gets 2 dollars in Europe, and the Japaneses subsidize their cows with 7 dollars a day.
The coffee industry generates 70 billion dollars annually, Africa (where the majority of the farmers are) only gets 5 billion of those...thanks to trade policies Germany is now a world exporter of coffee even though they do not grow a single bean over there. They just process, and roast them.
Coca butter can be exported to Japan at 0 percent, coca paste is 5 percent tariff, processed coca paste is 10 percent....but chocolate bars at 250 percent, that to make sure African nations do not make too much money and the Japanese producers make the most profit.
African nations subsides the health services in Europe and the States with providing many nurses and doctors that the West is short on. About a billion dollar is what costs to educates those nurses in Africa, only to have them get jobs in Europe.
There are more engineers from Sierra Leone working in Chicago, than in Sierra Leone.
I know things are more complicated that they seem and they are diffidently not black and white.
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