In a world where technology and capital are highly transferable, there is a real risk that comparative advantage comes to be defined as whose labor force will work for the lowest wage.
Robert KuttnerTechnological advance often thrives in sheltered and subsidized markets, which defy free trade.
Robert KuttnerIn practice, a good deal of the outcomes produced by the market reflect nothing more than luck - good or bad.
Robert KuttnerBoth rich and poor nations have a common stake in policies that put the globe on a sustainable development path. The conflict is less between poor and rich countries than between the broad interests of people and the narrow interests of extractive industries. We need to find our way towards some kind of global regime that reduces emissions of the greenhouse gases, but well-off nations need to transfer the technology to make this possible, rather than viewing this shift as one more opportunity for private industry to profit.
Robert Kuttner