Re: 7 Ruby Programming ebook

On May 16, 2008, at 11:38 AM, Phillip Gawlowski wrote:

> | Indeed. According to the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, this
> | general lack of property rights is one of the main limitations to
> | economic growth in the region.
>
> The entertainment industry is slowly but surely learning that lesson.
> EA, for example, is not publishing games in Brazil anymore.

It hurts countries internally, too. Without effective property rights,  
it's very hard for people to raise capital (as you can't use assets as  
collateral). And without an efficient capital market, two things  
happen. First, economic progress is slowed dramatically, as no one  
wants to invest. Second, much of the economy moves underground, which  
in the long term builds crime and hinders mobility. de Soto's book is  
a fascinating read.

Dave