Posts tagged ‘law of unintended consequences’

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23/01/2013

! My other two blogs

In case you have not noticed before, I am the author of two other blogs (unrelated to Chindia, China or India):

This blog is about the Law of Unintended Consequences. It will report on occurrences of the Law of Unintended Consequence and also of Murphy’s Law and other inconsequential matters. I hope that my readers will add their stories that illustrate these, and similar, laws. One of the most clear examples of this law in operation is “How the war in Iraq strengthened America’s enemies” – Peter W Galbraith.

This blog is a layman’s view of what’s wrong with the world economy and, perhaps, how to correct them. Included in this blog will be renewables, green, sustainability and other such topics. I hope some of these will be “good news”.

If you enjoy my Chindia Alert blog, you may find these of interest as well.  ENJOY  😉

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08/08/2012

* Dollar losing its attraction

The Times: “Soft power is sometimes defined as a way of achieving the outcome you desire without using force. In Britain’s case, this has traditionally been exercised using subtle diplomacy, cultural and legal institutions.

The United States exercises soft power through its culture, films and music, too, but it also does through the ubiquity of the US dollar.

With power comes responsibility. There is a danger now that, in seeking to use the dollar’s reserve currency status to achieve US foreign policy aims, America is undermining that power. A key criticism of the US sanctions on Iran, particularly the ban on Iranian banks from using the Swift payments system, is that it has created incentives for other countries to trade with Iran without using dollars. Iran itself has exploited this by using its own currency in bilateral trade deals with India, China, Russia and Japan.

It is a small step from finding ways of trading with Iran without using dollars to trading with each other without using dollars, something that has been noted by the People’s Bank of China, whose officials are talking increasingly loudly about how and when the yuan might become a global reserve currency.

The aggression shown by the New York State Department of Financial Services towards Standard Chartered has just created another incentive to avoid doing business in dollars.”

via It may be unfair, but the damage is done | The Times.

It’s called shooting oneself in the foot. It’s also another case of the Law of Unintended Consequences.  See also:

 

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29/01/2012

* Biggest human migration

This January sees the start of the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese dragon, opposite to its western counterpart, is perceived as an auspicious, powerful and dynamic icon, always courageous enough to face daunting challenges.

Chinese Lunar New Year/Spring Festival is when traditionally Chinese families get together to exchange presents and to wish each other well. With between 150 to 200m Chinese from rural areas working in big cities in China, the week-long break is a must-travel time. Most do so by rail, though many take coaches and some fly.  The travel exodus is exacerbated by students visiting families too. It is estimated that 3bn passenger trips are incurred during for the two-way trips.

The Chinese railways lay on up to a 1,000 addition trips at the two weekends on either end. This year, a new on-line and telephone system that was meant to ease booking problems actually contributed to chaos as many migrant workers do not use the Internet and many do not know how to book by phone, especially as some form of credit facility is needed. Another case of the manifestation of the “Law of Unintended Consequences” or, in this case, “The Law of Contrary Consequences”.

The fundamental problem is that migrant workers are not issued with full residency permits in the cities in which they spend 90% of their lives and often cannot either afford to or are allowed to bring their children with them. The children therefore remains in the village looked after by the grandparents. This in turn means if there is no wisit, they do not see their offspring at all!

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2012-01/12/content_14426708.htm

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