In preparing a lecture about socialist economies, I have come across the
claim that socialist nations had decent life expectancies. How can that
be? We know that:
(a) there have been episodes of mass starvation in the largest
socialist nations (USSR, China)
(b) socialist nations have often engaged in destructive wars
against other nations (USSR) and against their own populations
(Cambodia)
(c) chronic shortages of consumer goods, and in some cases,
shortage of basic food stuffs (think of wheat imports to Russia
and North Korea)
(d) Socialist nations tend to be stressful places with mass arrests and
the like
I could think of a few mechanisms: socialist nations tend to invest in the
kind of infra-structurers that extend life (Education, sanitation, etc.),
a vibrant black market, or most likely - vital statistics from these
nations are hugely misleading.
Any comments?
Fabio
