The Nanodialogues
Four experiments in upstream public engagement
Nanotechnology - the science of small things - promises to be one of the defining technologies of the 21st Century. But what will it mean for society and the environment? And how can public engagement in deciding the direction of research be moved 'upstream'?
Harare 2 - Everyone's an economist
at 2:24pm on Wednesday, 26th July 2006
"Everyone's an economist," Lawrence tells me as we drive from Harare airport. We overtake an overcrowded minibus, full of people trying to make the most of what petrol can be found. On the back of the bus, a banner says "Opportunity Cost!" On the front, it says "Demand Elasticity!" If "Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them" (A N Whitehead), then Zimbabwe's economy needs a nudge. At the moment, for it to work at all, everyone needs to be involved.
Zimbabwe's is an economy going rapidly backwards. Its size has halved in the last 8 years. Unemployment is between 70 and 80% (although the Government hilariously claims it is "pegged" at 9%). Inflation, the ever-optimistic local newspaper tells me, is now down to 900%. Two rates of exchange exist. Unofficially, Western cash will earn you four or more times the offical exchange rate. Those with money or stuff to sell are forced to reinvent markets every week. Petrol is driven over from Mozambique and sold for whatever people will pay. The cashpoints can't be filled quick enough to dispense the doorstops of notes required to buy almost everything. Things will get better, everyone tells me. The taxi back to the airport costs me 4.5 million dollars.
UPDATE: 5 days after this post, the Zimbabwean government decided to devalue their currency and knock three zeroes off. The BBC web site reports today (Mon 7th Aug) that they have now imposed a price freeze. Considering the extent to which the conomy has been what we might call "radically decentralised," it will be interesting to see if Zimbabwean businesses show any interest at all in keeping their prices constant while the value of wages plummets.
Zimbabwe's is an economy going rapidly backwards. Its size has halved in the last 8 years. Unemployment is between 70 and 80% (although the Government hilariously claims it is "pegged" at 9%). Inflation, the ever-optimistic local newspaper tells me, is now down to 900%. Two rates of exchange exist. Unofficially, Western cash will earn you four or more times the offical exchange rate. Those with money or stuff to sell are forced to reinvent markets every week. Petrol is driven over from Mozambique and sold for whatever people will pay. The cashpoints can't be filled quick enough to dispense the doorstops of notes required to buy almost everything. Things will get better, everyone tells me. The taxi back to the airport costs me 4.5 million dollars.
UPDATE: 5 days after this post, the Zimbabwean government decided to devalue their currency and knock three zeroes off. The BBC web site reports today (Mon 7th Aug) that they have now imposed a price freeze. Considering the extent to which the conomy has been what we might call "radically decentralised," it will be interesting to see if Zimbabwean businesses show any interest at all in keeping their prices constant while the value of wages plummets.
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