Asian exporters were not trying to “help” when they sold tapes cheaply to African markets; they were merely trying to get rid of obsolete products and earn some income from selling them. For African traders, the tapes they bought were cheap but not free. So like market actors everywhere, they were motivated to add value to the tapes to sell them for profits. This is why, ironically, while business as usual may stimulate growth opportunities, charitable gifts may end up inadvertently disrupting fragile markets in the Third World. In other words, no charity could be better than thoughtless
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