The Economics of A2K
This morning’s plenary session at the Yale A2K conference discussed the economics of A2K.
I was struck by a remark made by Jamie Love during the Q & A; that economists who see Intellectual Property as working need to reconsider their theories in view of what is actually happening in many countries; people are dying because they cannot afford medicines; they cannot afford medicines because of patents.
This is an important reminder, that no matter the elegance and theoretical complexity of an explanatory theory, if it doesn’t descibe reality, a reality which includes the dusty streets of rural Africa , its not worth the power point its presented on.