This article reminds me of both Ricardo’s comparative advantage and Guillen’s comparative institutionalism. Madagascar’s unique vanilla crop constitutes a natural endowment, which governments and farmers have collaborated to produce and export. However, benefits have not been equally distributed, and the country’s economy is at risk from global competition. 

This article reminded me of our discussions about Keynes and Hayek, particularly on the issues of inflation and economic crisis. Furthermore, the finance minister’s desired economic policy seems to be very much in line with neoclassical theories of development. 

Obviously the World Bank and IMF have both played a significant role in our discussions of globalization, including the Asian Financial Crisis. Furthermore, the article discusses how the IMF would require Pakistan to enact financial reforms in return for a bailout, which parallels our discussion of SAPs. 

Again, the subjects of inflation and hyperinflation are relevant to our discussions of Hayek and Keynes. The brief history of the German crisis in 1923 is particularly relevant, since it discusses the consequences of World War One’s reparations costs, which Keynes had also criticized. 

This article reminded me of the UN sustainable development goals, specifically the 11^th goal to achieve sustainable cities and communities. Specific aspects of this goal include proper infrastructure, effective responses to rapid urbanization, and effective disaster response, all things that evidently were not in place in Indonesia.