Some feedback from my son on what has been my main post of the week. God I remember the days when fathers were incrementalists and sons revolutionaries. How times have changed! BTW I fell into the trap, the theatre he mentions wasn't Ibsen or anything like that, it was working on another below-the-knee amputation, or something por el estilo. Still, I think we're agreed on the main issue, things are changing, and this time, for once, they might change a little bit in favour of some of the relatively poorer countries.
i'll be honest i think you overstate the case a little. In my opinion- sure there are changes that unfold as the days pass but I wouldn't describe them as revolutionary (i think incremental would be a better description here for want of a better word... however I don't think that i would really describe any of it as so sudden, radical, or complete as to be considered a revolution? maybe I'm wrong but this whole process of globalisation or even technological 'advancement' has of course been going on for a long time now. I mean the wheel isn't actually that old really! ...............I am however not missing your point here that there might be a shift in favour of some 'developing countries' re economics/capital of whatever form etc, but this isn't anything new... i mean it was me who pointed out that bottled water in guatemala apparently uses the purest and most modern system of purification going... moving on...
the point i suppose i'm making (and I'm never usually clear on this part) is that you can't really be surprised that there are new opportunities arising for other countries which are being realised purely as a consequence of service (et al) developments in the OECD... for instance you point out that 'India is by no means the only provider in the game - a recent Forrester report mentions the Philipinnes, Russia, the Baltic countries, Mexico and Costa Rica - and I personally can add Bulgaria to this list on the basis of my own research' but i bet you could add a whole list more countries to that (based on who-evers research... i told you that when you fly over laos or vietnaam the only lights you'll see in the jungle at night are those coming from internet cafes). The world's- a- changin' sure but at its own pace I think.
Do you not see a whole load of darwinian type actions going on here... the question i suppose is one of resources and how to use them. Look, i can go teach myself basic programming and web design on the net if i want to... but i'm not interested in it so I don't. When i need to i can.. easily. and it won't ever be too late to learn because i just learn the most modern up to date stuff putting me right at the front of the technology curve. So if i can do that so can the rest of the world and the resources required to do it are actually pretty limited (essentially the main one is time... and then you have a skill (and i do realise this is exactly the same as the example of the fixed cost entrace fee of a factory (or in fact worker).. ie your entry cost is low wrt to some service provisions). Now i think what you are saying from here is that finally many countries (india being the best example) are getting a more cohesive infrastructure, and essentially organisation, to allow them to actively compete in an efficient way against their more developed counterparts.... not just compete but essentially shift to a position where the OECD's are actually reliant upon them and as such the positions start to shift further. Now I am of course no sooth-sayer (or economist for that fact... please note the natural link here) so I can't offer any expertise on all of this other than my own interpretation (and as it is such a large area you are covering I'll ignore the Gats stuff for now- oh and are you REALLY surprised an anthropologist knows Huizinga... human culture is after all their area of expertise....). and another thing do you honestly think that the intellectual distance between the middle classes of any country, developed or not, has ever been that great? Georgia has probably got more doctors per head than america.
Got to be quick now as have theatre to go to, so: "Yahoo's chief executive in India Venkat Panchapakesan as saying that the R&D facility will indeed hire more people soon.--- well he would wouldn't he? Malaysia has always been hot on all this IT stuff so it makes sense to invest there (intel)- i see your point. I spent a day in malaysia on my way over here interestingly enough and it struck me as a very british place (the old colonial influence i imagine....India, malasyia... there might be something in that?). by the way over 30 or 40% of the people at imperial college are probably from S.E asia.
"But then I am also interested in the economic welfare of all the population of this fine planet."-- dad, c'mon. I'm a bloody cynic- don't waste my time with stuff like that-I'm afraid its too self indulgent for my palette...........
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