Comments on: The Rule of Law and the Global Poor

By: Ahmed Fasih

Ahmed Fasih — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:16:11 +0000

It turns out that your paragraph starting with, “Imagine living in a world…” is a good summary of human history, as celebrated in literature and confirmed by archaeology. The Iliad to Tain Bo Cuailnge, Beowulf to today, so much raiding and piracy and slavery condoned and expected by all.

By: Introduction to International Justice Mission (IJM) – 2012 Monthly Webinar Schedule « Thinking About Thinking

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:03:56 +0000

[...] from further victimization. After visiting with IJM leadership, I wrote a blog post called “The Rule of Law and the Global Poor” which captures the problem and their work in greater detail. I have become a big believer [...]

By: Larry Cheng’s Insight Into Poverty And The Rule of Law « HireAHelper's Everything Home Blog

Thu, 17 May 2012 23:16:10 +0000

[...] Larry Cheng shared some incredible insight he gained after speaking with some directors at International Justice Mission (IJM). His post gives an excellent look at why we at HireAHelper find it so important, when browsing through the list of non-profits to support, to get behind what IJM is doing. So we decided to reblog it here. Check-out the full content on his blog. This weekend, I learned something fundamental and important about the plight of the global poor. I learned that for most of the global poor, they live in a world without the rule of law. What this means, quite simply, is that they live in a world where crimes committed against them go systematically unpunished. In fact, because their status in society is so low, crimes committed against the poor may not even be considered crimes at all, despite their patent illegality. Even worse, it is not uncommon for crimes to be committed against them by the very institutions we would expect to protect them – law enforcement (read more…) Share this:FacebookTwitterMorePinterestRedditStumbleUponDiggEmailPrintLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

By: Desmond Gorven

Desmond Gorven — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:42:05 +0000

In the presence of territorial monopoly governments, law cannot rule. The (if lucky, popular) government arrogates to itself a right to make legislation which overrides the interests of justice.

Note that the first amendment to the U.S. constitution is a prohibition on passing certain laws.

Viewed clearly, democracy has evolved into a renunciation of majoritarianism (the first amendment implies the majority may be crazy). However, we have the opportunity to use elements of design, as well as processes of evolution, in achieving a social order in which we can take pride.

Please ponder this: “We hold it to be self-evident”
Nice rhetoric. Even if the rhetoricist held it to be self-evident that every surface which is red all over, is simultaneously green all over, I cannot disprove that he holds it to be so.

In 2012, we can certainly come up with a less shaky foundation for social order.

A Private Law Society, as proposed by Hans-Hermann Hoppe, has a solid foundation, and will most likely replace democracy in the long run.

So why waste energy on an obsolescent system?

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:31:21 +0000

Reblogged this on HireAHelper's Everything Home Blog and commented: Larry Cheng shared some incredible insight he gained after speaking with some directors at International Justice Mission (IJM). His post gives an excellent look at why we at HireAHelper find it so important, when browsing through the list of non-profits to support, to get behind what IJM is doing.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:42:50 +0000

Thanks for the post. Fukuyama’s recent “The Origins of Political Order” covers this point in some depth; I highly recommend it. This is also a strong argument to tamper the exceeingly bullish assumptions about China’s continued growth and influence.

By: Desmond Gorven

Desmond Gorven — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:19:56 +0000

I read Dr Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s explanation, which is more or less: There are territorial monopolies on raising taxes. Publically funded police need crime to continue at a level which reminds scares the public into supporting police funding increases. The absence of competitors motivates police to misdirect their efforts into victimless crimes, and whatever will please their paymaster, rather than focus on the need of the public.
The absence of territorial monopoly government will mean that individuals will subscribe to security services, and perceived lack of service will be punished by subscribers.
The poor do make arrangements for security. They live close to each other, allowing too little room for agriculture, because the distance created by a field of crops creates risk.
The poor also buy unlicenced weapons, presumably primarily for defence.
The monopoly service-provider police count it as a victory when they take away the weapons held by the poor.
The police can be selective about which cases to investigate.
Police in Johannesburg routinely extort bribes from foreign poor who have not bribed someone to supply genuine asylum-seeker permits. i hear they refer to them as ATMs, because they can make a cash withdrawal from any one.
I know someone who lives that life of “asylum-seeker” in Johannesburg. His former employer was of course contributing tax to fund the police to drive around preying on their employee. Would employers do that by choice?
I am pretty sure that an anarchic world will have employers contribute to the security of their employees.
Dr Hans-Hermann Hoppe has predicted some of the likely features of the coming social order [that is, he describes features, I predict that anarchy will eventually dawn]
In Johannesburg, police conduct operations to clear traders off pavements.
We have this “wonderful” constitutional democracy here. It is broken. It will never be fixed. One day, in the distant future, we will abandon it.

By: larrycheng

larrycheng — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:25:02 +0000

Desmond, I’m not sure I completely “get” your broader point. But, in the Foreign Affairs article I referenced in the blog post, it does talk about the tell tale sign of the lack of rule of law is the substantial growth of the private security industry in these regions of the world. The net of it is if the upper class in a society generally have private security, you can bet it’s for good reason – and one of those reasons is they don’t trust the police to protect them.

By: larrycheng

larrycheng — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:22:33 +0000

Kostis – thanks for sharing that. Landes’ points make a ton of sense to me after the accounts I heard this weekend.

By: Desmond Gorven

Desmond Gorven — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:09:06 +0000

I can explain more, another day.