When we assess the impact of technological changes, we tend to downplay things that happened a while ago. Ha-Joon Chang agoassesdownplay Change image and share on social
Unfortunately, a lot of economists wanted to make their subject a science. So the more what you do resembles physics or chemistry, the more credible you become. Ha-Joon Chang chemistrycredibleeconomist Change image and share on social
I'm not an anti-capitalist, or anarchist. I want capitalism to work. Ha-Joon Chang anarchistanticapitalism Change image and share on social
As someone from a developing country, I have a problem with rich countries thinking they can tell us anything, simply because they are giving money. Ha-Joon Chang countrydevelopgive Change image and share on social
It is impossible to objectively define how free a market is. This is a political definition. Government is always involved, and those free marketers are as politically motivated as anyone. Ha-Joon Chang definedefinitionfree Change image and share on social
It is time that we dispensed with the myth that the market is a force of nature that should not be meddled with. Markets are social creations that can be, and have been, modified for social purposes. Ha-Joon Chang creationdispenseforce Change image and share on social
Patent monopoly creates a lot of problems. It allows the patentee to charge the maximum to consumers. This may not be a problem if the patented product is a luxury item, like parts that go into a smartphone, but can violate basic human rights if it involves things such as life-saving drugs. Ha-Joon Chang basicchargeconsumer share on social
People always think they're in the middle of a revolution while they tend not to realize the enormity of a change that has happened in the past. The telegraph was a revolution, but who looks at it that way these days? The telegraph sped up the transportation of messages over long distances by a huge factor. Ha-Joon Chang changedaydistance share on social
Very often, the judgments by ordinary citizens may be better than those by professional economists, being more rooted in reality and less narrowly focused. Ha-Joon Chang citizeneconomistfocus Change image and share on social
Basically, the myth is that America has been founded on the free market; the government has done very little; it has thrived under free trade. But actually, if you look at the history, this is actually the country that has succeeded most with protectionist policies. Ha-Joon Chang americabasicallycountry share on social