Donald Cohen-Cutler is a Legislative Assistant for the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. He hails from the University of California, Davis.

Economic Development sounds like such a good thing. Ideally, everyone gets something from it!  Economic development is a fantastic opportunity for the United States to take the lead on bringing better systems of living to impoverished countries and people all over the world!  Best yet, it is a moral thing to do!  This week in “The Forward,” Benjamin Friedman, a professor of political economy at Harvard University, wrote an article about the imperative of global economic development.  Friedman discusses at length the dangers - social and economic - of unrestricted poverty while also addressing concerns stemming from a stagnate economy.   The article shares arguments expressed from both those who fear and praise economic development, while looking through a moral lens.

While the article poses about as many questions as answers, it is an interesting piece worth the read…