Free Cities Podcast 073 - Peter Young: Special Economic Zones, Autonomy and the Future of Free Cities
SEZs, Free Zones, Autonomous Cities, Shannon, China, Shenzhen, Dubai, UAE, Special Economic Zones, Honduras, Prospera, Democracy, Free Cities, International Cities.
Timothy Allen talks with Peter Young.
Today I have the Free Cities Foundation's managing director Peter Young back for another episode. This time we’re talking about SEZs, free zones and autonomous cities. We’re basically giving you the 101 on what we discovered during the making of our film 'Zones of Progress’ in Dubai.
There are lots of great insights here into the evolution of free zones and what their future might look like if the trend continues. Peter is super knowledgable on the subject, so pay close attention and soak up all the insights. I personally think that understanding the history of SEZs is hugely important if you are interested in the establishment of new autonomous territories.
Look out too for my final penny drop moment with the concept of democracy: It's been a long journey for me on that subject, but it now appears that I may be ready to tackle Hans-Hermann Hoppe's 'Democracy, the God that Failed”.
Enjoy the conversation.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:30 - Introduction. 5:37 - Shannon Airport's history as a free zone and China's stance on special economic zones. 11:57 - China's economic transformation through special economic zones, particularly Shenzhen. 19:05 - China's economic zones and Dubai's special financial zone. 25:30 - Dubai treats its residents like customers. 39:33 - Attracting human capital is the zeitgeist. 38:55 - Free Cities will be sandboxes to explore alternatives to democracy. 43:14 - The history and reality of Charter Cities. 53:34 - The democratic system is high time preference. 57:54 - Peter's advice to governments thinking about setting up free zones.
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TWITTER:
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WEBSITES:
Free Cities Foundation: https://free-cities.org/
AI Summary of Episode:
Historical and modern special economic zones, with a focus on their autonomy and evolution.
- Peter Young discusses special economic zones, free zones, and autonomous cities.
- Historical special economic zones predate modern incarnation (1959)
- Shannon Airport in Ireland was once a refueling stop for transatlantic flights, but now it's an industrial area with 10,000 workers.
- Peter Young explains why special economic zones' policies were rolled back in Ireland.
- China's stance on special economic zones and economic debate during the 20th century.
- China experienced difficult political period under Mao, with internal debate on future leadership and economic development.
- Shenzhen's rapid growth from 30,000 to 12 million people in 30 years, 10 times Chicago's…