Lokalkosmopolit writes:
”You do not get great figures like that in a free market capitalist country” yes you get and even in the former USSR. In the Baltic states for example. And these are free market poster boys, not gradualist/slow reformers. Also if you bring up malnutrition rates in India then don’t forget the Chinese case where malnutrition has been on constant decline as free-market reforms progress.
This is not true at all. My understanding is that the Baltic states still have a highly developed social welfare state including free to cheap education, social security and free to cheap medical care. That’s the reason for the great health figures. At any rate, in 1990, the Baltic states had stupendous health and nutrition figures. The sole reason for that was socialism. Even if they have dismantled their welfare state (which I highly doubt) their figures are still excellent probably as a legacy of the USSR.
All of the world, the less socialism you have, the poorer the health and nutrition figures. The more capitalism you have, the worse the health and nutrition figures.
The bottom line is capitalism is bad for your health!
China is still an extremely socialist country. The state owns all the land and almost all of the banking. There is no stock market. Fully 45% of the economy is publicly owned. There is tremendous spending in the rural areas and feudalism was wiped out in the countryside. All of the large landowners were eliminated and now every farmer has his own plot to grow crops. The state runs the irrigation systems. Health care is free to cheap. Food is massively subsidized by the state. Homelessness is illegal. Slums are basically nonexistent.
As far as malnutrition in China, do you have any idea how much money the Chinese state spends fighting malnutrition and ensuring that it’s people have enough good food to eat? It is a stupendous amount of money.
China is a market socialist or social market economy.