The Origins of Special Economic Zones

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The idea of perforating the territory to allow for usually lower taxation, lower regulations and lower labor laws also had places that sprang up early in Puerto Rico. It really didn't take off until the late 1970s, which is when China adopted the zone as kind of a way with which it would open up its domestic economy. The zones are fascinating sort of laboratories for re-commodification of land,. They're basically the reversal of communism in most of its tangible ways, but in very, very small pockets of land.

Featuring Quinn Slobodian on Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy. Radical libertarians, including anarcho-capitalists like Murray Rothbard, envision a world of micro-polities governed by private property and contract. In fact, we already live in their world, a world of zones—places where special rules tailor-made for capitalists prevail over the ordinary laws of the nation-state. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Listen to Quinn's interview on Globalists thedigradio.com/podcast/a-history-of-neoliberalism-with-quinn-slobodian Buy Angela Davis: An Autobiography haymarketbooks.org/books/2001-angela-davis Buy Let This Radicalize You by Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes haymarketbooks.org/books/1922-let-this-radicalize-you