tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6335146197342151188.post8646692865168281413..comments2024-02-29T13:07:00.519+00:00Comments on Development Horizons by Lawrence Haddad: So, Why Did I Join GAIN?Lawrence Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265061444076801962noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6335146197342151188.post-37109049819354200382016-10-13T16:01:59.460+01:002016-10-13T16:01:59.460+01:00Congratulations, Dr. Haddad! I wanted to add a bri...Congratulations, Dr. Haddad! I wanted to add a brief comment/pose a brief question on the point of getting beyond "business=good/business=bad."<br /><br />What are your thoughts on the simple idea "[many] businesses=inviable businesses"? That is to say, inviable given what we currently know and their current forms? If we put any credence in True Cost Accounting, calculations by both the FAO and KPMG have found that food and agriculture often has externalized costs plausibly equal to 50-75% of the market prices of many food products. If we accept that, at least in *some* cases, this magnitude may be correct, we can leave out moralizing about whether business is good or bad all we want, but how can we work with businesses that are arguably profiting by underpricing their goods by 50% and letting society pick up the tab?<br /><br />I suppose part of the problem I have had is that I'm usually rather keen on supposedly evidence-based policy-makers and businesses to admit the scale of the challenge, and concede that, at least in some cases, the externalities might be rather huge, and that this really is a huge entitlement society is paying to them. We obviously have to consider careful steps to changing this; immediately jacking prices up to "full" levels would cause far more problems than it would solve, I'd wager. But can we even take appropriate immediate steps when businesses reject evidence that the "value" they're "creating" is 50-75% lower than they claim? How much should we praise companies that may improve their social impact by 3 or 5% if the scale of 75% is true?M. Jahi Chappellhttp://agroecopeople.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com