Texas Tech Free Market Institute’s Ben Powell Discusses New Book: “Out Of Poverty” [AUDIO]

On the Wednesday edition of The Chad Hasty Show, Dr. Ben Powell from the Texas Tech Free Market Institute, talked with Chad Hasty about his latest book: "Out of Poverty."

Powell explained that his book is not necessarily an endorsement or defense of sweat shops, and that he actually agrees with some of the anti-sweat shop arguments. However, he said that it was important to realize that protesting the businesses and other extreme measures could actually leave these workers even worse off.

"Some people are going to read it as a defense of sweat shops. But this isn't a defense that says, "Oh, the conditions aren't that bad," or "profits are important," or economic efficiency. I basically endorse the goals of the anti-sweat shop movement and improving the welfare of people in the third world. But unfortunately, economics put limits on our utopias. So we have to consider the laws of economics to see how our maybe well-intentioned, well-meaning actions actually impact people..."

Powell said that, from an American point of view, the sweat shops may look horrible, but added that many Americans also haven't seen what real poverty looks like. He added that the wages these sweat shops workers make in those third-world countries are often times higher than workers in other struggling industries like agriculture. Powell also added that it's important to remember that these workers chose to work at these factories because it was their best option, and they are not necessarily the "slaves" that anti-sweat shop activists make them out to be.

Powell will be speaking at the Lubbock Liberty Working this Saturday, March 29th, from 10 AM to noon at the Patterson Library. His book, "Out Of Poverty," is available now on Amazon. For more information on the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech, visit their website at ttu.edu/freemarketinstitute or visit them on Facebook.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Ben Powell here: