Giving out cash to voters sounds like exactly the sort of policy third world countries are very good at doing. In fact, the very worst countries like Zimbabwe seem to be the best at it.
According to Wikipedia’s page on hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, they printed money to finance “involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, in 2000, in the Second Congo War, including higher salaries for army and government officials”, “self-dealing”, and “institutionalized corruption”. In other words, they were printing money and not giving it to voters.
I’m not Larks, but it seemed reasonable to me that by “voters” they meant “people with political power” instead of “peasants.” But my view of Africa is more cynical than normal, and perhaps that wasn’t the intended definition, in which case I retract the grandparent.
Giving out cash to voters sounds like exactly the sort of policy third world countries are very good at doing. In fact, the very worst countries like Zimbabwe seem to be the best at it.
According to Wikipedia’s page on hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, they printed money to finance “involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, in 2000, in the Second Congo War, including higher salaries for army and government officials”, “self-dealing”, and “institutionalized corruption”. In other words, they were printing money and not giving it to voters.
This is Zimbabwe we’re talking about; I think they know who the real voters are.
Don’t shift definitions in mid-argument.
I’m not Larks, but it seemed reasonable to me that by “voters” they meant “people with political power” instead of “peasants.” But my view of Africa is more cynical than normal, and perhaps that wasn’t the intended definition, in which case I retract the grandparent.