Public Opinion on Trade Policy

I'm surprised to find here that more people still support free trade than oppose it. This despite the supposed recent increase in protectionist feeling.

For the friendly reader who (a) isn't a grad student in Poli. Sci., and (b) doesn't know my soap box on this, my opinion on this issue is as follows:
1. Free trade is good, but
2. Switching to free trade hurts some people.
3. The rich countries can afford to compensate these people through social welfare programs and education.
4. The poor countries usually can't afford to help these people.
5. Therefore, the IMF and World Bank and other international organizations should work to compensate the losers in these free trade agreements in the poor countries. Could hardly hurt their reputations, too.
6. Finally, we should engage in more preferential trade agreements, in which the poor countries get to export stuff to us duty-free, but we still allow them to tax our exports, while these countries develop export industries. Over the long term better for everybody.

Heading back to the coast...

...after far too little time in the jungle. I figure, though, I'll have a lot more in the way of jungle opportunities down in Bolivia, which is on the agenda for the week after next, I think.

I've been reading through my survey data for Bolivia and taking a look through the Lonely Planet book at a couple of the places, and there are some really interesting-looking places to visit, so I'm getting pretty excited about it. My only regret: nowhere on Lake Titicaca is in the survey, and I was hoping to make it there. I had planned to do a case study on the Peruvian side, near Puno, but I think I'm going to cut it out, in the interest of getting more time in Bolivia. I have, after all, been in Peru, effectively since early October.

Hopefully, I don't have any trouble getting over the border, with this pig flu nonsense going on.

Anyways, my plane leaves Pucallpa tomorrow morning at the ridiculous hour of 5:40AM. Why they leave at that time, I have no idea, since there are only two flights a day out of this town.

I'll be in Lima for two days, then back to Cusco, then (I think) by bus to the Bolivian border, and ultimately, La Paz. There's also a very small possibility that I'll find a cheap flight from Lima to La Paz or Santa Cruz and be able to do it by plane, instead (really, can't have too many stops in the Lima airport, right?).

I'm going to miss the Inka Kola, but I'm looking forward to the Salvietti.

Sweet pizza and centralized government

I've been talking to Krister about some papers he wants us to write together--I told him in an e-mail today that he needs to give me deadlines, or I'll spend my time doing interviews and trying out exotic Amazonian pizza toppings. I am, of course, half joking, but I want you all to know that my Quechua lessons came in handy today when I spotted the "Misky Pizza" on the menu at the local pizza joint. "Misk'y" is Quechua for "sweet." The pizza has fruit toppings on it (pineapple, peach, banana) and sweet condensed milk. It was good.

In other news, I got in another couple of interviews today--I'm not totally over this non-pig flu I've got, but I'm feeling a lot sharper, mentally, even though I probably sound like hell. At least this cold has given me the opportunity to use up the Cold-Eeze cough drops that Emily gave me way back in October and I've been dragging around with me since then.

Anyways, my thoughts about Pucallpa (the current case study) go like this:

Pucallpa is a pretty good case of a municipality where poor centralized government decision making has led to bad stuff happening. The central government has passed some laws that are just silly--making forestry concessions too big to permit local firms to compete, for example. The end result is that, well, they can't really not afford to be in the game, and nobody's really watching, anyways (they would be the ones watching, since they're the ones with a long-term stake in the region), so they pretty much do whatever they want.

And the result is lots of deforestation.

Pucallpa, in a phrase, could use a little bit more decentralization.

The good news is that there are a number of well-organized forestry users' groups in the city which are working pretty hard to get the government to change the policy. Hopefully, they'll be successful.

Waterfront pictures

Got some new pictures up of the Pucallpa waterfront--you can click on the link in the sidebar, or here.

Sick

When I headed back on the plane from Denver on Tuesday, I had a pretty good idea that I'd wind up catching a cold from all the people hacking and coughing on the flight. At least I'm not squandering a couple days of a 10-day vacation or something! The poor people.

So, I started feeling ill yesterday or the night before. Runny nose, sore through, etc. At least I don't have the severe respiratory symptoms of pig flu--I realized this afternoon that I was sitting next to a Mexican guy on the plane from Atlanta to Lima. But he was coming from the US and had a US passport, anyways. And he didn't look like he would have been in recent contact with any pig except the deep-fried kind (does that count as porcine profiling).

The idea of having to go to a hospital down here in the jungle is a little scary. If I were in Lima, I have no doubt that my medical care would be as good as anything I could get in the states, but down here... who knows?

All in all, there's never a good time to be ill (except, you know, when you're rhymin' and stealin') but at least I've got the weekend to feel better.

Texas

Survey results on the number of likely Texas voters that support secession here. Nearly 40%!

Selva musings

First, when your inerviewee launches immediately into an explanation of his efforts to convert cocaleros to legitimate crops, despite the fact that you never even brought up coca, does that mean he thinks you're in the DEA? Because I would think that my moustache pretty much disqualifies me.

Second, why are random people on the street here so talkative, while all of my interviewees clearly have no interest in talking to me?

Third, how can the local forestry chamber of commerce afford air conditioning? Maybe #1 has something to do with it?

Fourth, what's a conversation with a Shipibo native guy worth? Because I think I spent about $9 on junk, but had a pretty good conversation.

Fifth, why would you buy a hummer H3 down here, even if you were involved in the coca trade?

Sixth, to echo my comments the other day on facebook, the pizza I had this evening makes me wonder, "what food products aren't made better by putting fried bananas on top?" Although I could have passed on the egg, sunny-side up.

Seventh, I wonder what Bolivian war hero I will be compared to when I'm over there. I'm "¡Admiral Grau!" here. Weird, because that dude had sideburns.

More on Pucallpa

Pucallpa is hot. But I guess I'll get used to it.

Slept a little bit late to catch up on what I missed the other night--felt good to sleep in a bed. Got up and got the desayuno Americano up on the Plaza de Armas--apparently, Americans eat fried eggs and french bread. All in all, not the best I've had. Much more entertaining when they get it completely wrong.

In general, breakfast options in Guatemala tend to be better.

After breakfast, got in an interview with the folks at the provincial office. I was surprised to find that the huge provincial capitol building holds only two people involved in agriculture--surprising, since this municipality is right on the regression line for the provision of agricultural services. They described a number of types of training the province sponsors for agricultural producers, but admitted to me that, basically, the province isn't as heavily involved in agriculture as the region.

So I went out this afternoon to the regional government's ministry of agriculture compound. It's on the outskirts of the city, out on a dirt road. Wasn't able to interview the director, but did meet with the head of the local farmers' union (does that make him the representative of the Peruvian grange?) He gave me his spiel for about an hour, which was great. It does really sound as though the region has gotten into agriculture, big time, and maybe the result is that the regional government satisfies these demands, while the local governments play other roles in this region(?)

In general, agriculture here appears to be much larger-scale. Producers down here seem to produce one or a small number of crops in large quantities, and many of them seem to have very large farms. Rice, palm oil, and other staples are produced in great quantities.

Going to try back tomorrow, to try to catch the director. And tomorrow morning, think I'm going to go to the province again, to try to catch the participatory budget guy.

First impressions of Pucallpa

Made it to Pucallpa this morning after a largely sleepless night one
planes ans sitting in the Lima airport. Why is it that I can only sleep
easily on planes after 3AM?

The airport was amusing. Plane lands, you walk down some stairs and
walk across the runway to the passenger terminal, then some guys hand
pull the luggage carts over to the terminal and put it on a rotating
baggage carousel. Why they have a rotating baggage carousel, I have no
I idea. I also have no idea why they don't have a vehicle to pull the
baggage carts. Although I suppose it isn't really necessary, either.

Although my hotel is a separated by a few metaphysical degrees from the
ideal travelers hangout, Pucallpa so far is an interesting place, and
quite a change from the places I've visited so far in Peru. It's down
in the Amazon, and is hot and humid. The hotel itself is secure and
clean, and although I could pay extra for air conditioning, I've got a
room with a ceiling fan and cold water. So far, seems comfortable enough.

The city itself is something of a low-altitude version of Huaraz. It's
a newer place, with metal roofs and brick and concrete (and shanty)
construction, and no visible signs of the colonial era. Although there
are some people walking around the streets in indigenous (Amazon
indigenous) clothing, the population here seems mostly mestizo, or at
least acculturated to Spanish/Gringo/European ways of doing things.

Pucallpa is located on the shore of the Ucayali river, which is a
tributary of the Amazon. Boats depart from here for Iquitos, and it is
apparently possible to work your way down to the Amazon and to the
Brazilian coast from here, though it would be a long trip, and with few
of the comforts of, say the Alaska Marine Highway system's M/V Leconte
(That's a joke, I think. Although I kind of miss the Leconte.)

My mission this afternoon is to find the district government building.
I hope to get started with interviews tomorrow.

Some good advice...

...from Blattman, of course, here.

I agree with all of this advice--he's recommending a packing list for students going off to do fieldwork. I can't yet vouch for the need for a mosquito bednet--but I did take my malaria meds last week. No crazy dreams yet. First time I'm really going to the jungle for any length of time.

My only quibble is with his recommendation of a "dorky" hat that keeps the sun off your neck. I'm wearing such a hat at the moment, but I think it's awesome, not dorky. I felt silly until all the indigenous highland guys started trying to get me to give it to them, or trade. I'm keeping it.

Bass Pro Shops--good for classy hats, speedloaders, and pants with flaps on the back pockets.