Trade is to culture as sex is to biology. Exchange makes cultural change collective and cumulative. It becomes possible to draw upon inventions made throughout society, not just in your neighborhood. The rate of cultural and economic progress depends on the rate at which ideas are having sex.
Underlies the assumption on which we work at Madura - that poverty is an outcome of an impoverished network with slow flow of information. By increasing the rate at which people connect and interact with knowledge and information, we believe, interactions become more productive and magic will happen. In Matt Ridley's words we are facilitating trade and idea sex.
Hi Doc:
ReplyDeleteI watched your profile on Young Turks a few days ago and have spent the past few hours looking at what Madura does. I am very impressed with you work and I believe that you derive great personal satisfaction from doing what you are doing. I was born in Cameroon and I must say that most of rural India is more like Cameroon. WE want to start something like Madura in Cameroon. Wish you could help advise us on your software systems, how you train the women in your SHG's etc. I really like the whole idea of adding education, entrepreneurship training, health education etc. I am a Physician by training, so I will also like to have some healthcare improvement in the mix. please help with info. Thanks. Eric Mabo, MD