"Medicine is a social science, politics by other means." Rudolf Virchow The new World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, Harvard anthropologist and MD, appointed in an undemocratic selection process, seeks "brisk economic growth" (See Farmer's Washington Post editorial (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kims-smart-stance-on-growth/2012/04/11/gIQA6SqABT_story.html). When asked about his background by the New York Times, he said, "the fact that I’m an anthropologist means that I look for specific solutions for specific contexts. There’s no one-size-fits-all. There’s no big idea that will lead to economic growth for everybody. I think we must be evidence-based and evidence-driven, and we must pay attention to local contexts." In contrast, when one of the world's leading Marxist economists, Sam Bowles (who founded the Institute for Popular Economics at the University of Massachusetts (which I attended in 1983)), argues for democracy in Harvard's economics department, and persists with a neo-Marxist position which provides general theories of social transformation which deeply question capitalism, he is fired. See: Hardly a Surprise http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1973/2/27/hardly-a-surprise-pbtbhe-decision-by/ I continue this investigation of this searing event in anthropology. I am writing an article about this and ask for input from readers. Among the questions, "What would you do if you were appointed to lead the World bank?" "How would you respond to world criticism that the process was undemocratic and a sham?" "What is the role of political economists in debating these issues?" Best, Brian McKenna PS: Thank you Doug, Michael and Jim for responding to earlier emails.
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