My favorite rule is
Ethan Zuckerman's rule number 3 - embrace market mechanisms (Giving stuff away rarely works as well as selling it.) I totally agree with that. As a business studend I learnt about markets and that they are the solution for everything. I believe that with a free market the situation in third world countries can improve, but only if there exist a certain kind of regulation to prohibit abuse. And if we come up with clever ideas to enable people - for instance with micro credits, education and adequate products.
Giving away stuff for free is only a solution
in emergecy situations. If people learn that they can get everything for free without working for it they get lazy and it doesn't help them in the long term. We should merely enable people to help themselves. If a product is valuable for the people and simple and cheap enough
they can afford it there is no need to give it away. Giving stuff away for free also bears the danger that it doesn't appear or in fact isn't truely valuable and useful to the people. Selling products in third world countries forces
manufacturers to create products as simple and stripped-down of unnecessary extras so they can be sold cheap enough for people to afford it. And with the incoming money there can be found new ways to
improve the life of people. This way NGOs can also become independet of fundings.
I believe in markets and that they can help to improve the world. If we use them in the right way.
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