In this chapter Wheelan talks about several global economic issues, but it is his summary at the end of the chapter that struck me. Especially these sentences: "Only one team can win the World Series. International economics is the opposite. All countries can become richer over time, even as individual firms within those countries compete for profits and resources." (p. 269)
In my head there has always been this underlying assumption that if one country gets richer others get poorer. I had the same assumption about humans, that in order for one person to become rich that person had to steal (more in a figurative sense of the word) the wealth from other people. Now this rule is as I found out in this class is not directly true, and I could have imagined that this also counts for the global economy, but I never thought about this part and I never thought about the consequences of this new truth: that every economy could grow at the same time. Given this statement, the goal of global wealth seems a lot more reachable, it seems like if there could only be the right people in the right position, this goal can be achieved. Now, I know that these right people may not be able to exist, and that our current system doesn't particularly favor working hard for someone else's outcome, but it seems like a very nice thought that, in theory it could happen.
But then of course wealth is somewhat relative and doesn't at all guaranty happiness.
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