Sweatshops

An unexpectedly keen view from Nicholas Kristof in the NYTimes. He suggests if you are raising a child in a Cambodian garbage dump, a job in a "sweatshop" does not look so bad.

I’m glad that many Americans are repulsed by the idea of importing products made by barely paid, barely legal workers in dangerous factories. Yet sweatshops are only a symptom of poverty, not a cause, and banning them closes off one route out of poverty. At a time of tremendous economic distress and protectionist pressures, there’s a special danger that tighter labor standards will be used as an excuse to curb trade.

When I defend sweatshops, people always ask me: But would you want to work in a sweatshop? No, of course not. But I would want even less to pull a rickshaw. In the hierarchy of jobs in poor countries, sweltering at a sewing machine isn’t the bottom.

Well said. The whole piece is superb.

Hat-tip: Terri

Economics and Markets Posted by John Kranz at January 16, 2009 5:58 PM