Arnold Kling

The Case for Sweatshops

Arnold Kling, Great Questions of Economics
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If a conservative economist had written this, it would not be news.

Indeed, talk to third world factory workers and the whole idea of "sweatshops" seems a misnomer. It is farmers and brick-makers who really sweat under the broiling sun, while sweatshop workers merely glow.

But this argument that "sweatshops" benefit workers in underdeveloped countries was made by bleeding-heart New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof. That makes it news.

Discussion Question. What would happen if there were a minimum wage requirement at "sweatshops"?

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