A drug dealer on economists' theories about drug dealing

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/04/13/135354436/the-tuesday-podcast-a-former-crack-dealer-on-the-economics-of-drugs?ft=1&f=93559255

by trustfundbaby • 15 years ago

43 13 15 years ago

npr.org

Perceval2• 15 years ago

As a student of international relations, this seems familiar to me. Liberal international relations theorists focus on economic variables as causal to a far greater degree than realists or constructivists, and have also imported a bunch of their methodologies from economics/econometrics. Realists tend to deny the primary importance of economics, going on about power and the animus dominandi like old saws.

It's funny that in this NPR piece economists focus on all the monetary and financial risk aspects, while seemingly blind to the central motivation of the people on the streets:

What's more, he really liked being a drug kingpin.

I loved it. ... I felt like I was powerful. ... It was every man's dream to be free. ... I'd rather be doing that than anything else, almost.

Power and independence, not money, were the ultimate goal. Very realist.

dtegart• 15 years ago

I think if you dig a bit deeper into most people's motivations for wanting to be rich, you will find out that independence is the really reason. Without any evidence I think that people want to be rich, so they don't have to worry about money.

hugh32• 15 years ago

I think Aristotle Onassis' theory is a bit more accurate:

“If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.”

Furthermore, the best approximation to human behaviour I know is that human beings will do whatever it takes to maximise ... not their wealth, not their freedom, but... their status.

For nice middle-class me, going to prison for drug dealing would be a huge step down in my status. For some kid in the ghetto, though, it could easily be the opposite.

Cushman• 15 years ago

I wonder if you could frame this as an expression of basic economic principles. The very most valuable thing is that which cannot be bought for any price: time.

Perceval2• 15 years ago

Yeah there was a TED Talk that touched on money and happiness. Apparently $60,000/year was the cognitive (or material) line necessary so that the average person could stop worrying about money.

http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_exper...

“Below 60,000 dollars a year, people are unhappy, and they get progressively unhappier the poorer they get. Above that, we get an absolutely flat line. I mean I’ve rarely seen lines so flat.”

michaelchisari• 15 years ago

I'm sure it's great to be a kingpin, but I'd be interested to hear the perspective of the low level dealers and other rank-and-file.

schmittz• 15 years ago

That's true, the best stories come from the middle or the bottom. The top guy says he'd make less, but would the bottom guys wind up making more? It's a potentially interesting business dynamic. Would you have more horizontal than vertical management structure?

bingaman• 15 years ago

Not just a drug dealer, but Freeway Ricky Ross, who arguably helped invent crack whose cocaine supplier was the Nicarguan Contras, the CIA-funded army of Iran-Contra fame. I love Planet Money, but I wish they'd gone a little deeper into his involvement with the contras. If you want to know more look into Gary Webb's series, Dark Alliance. The restored site is here: http://www.narconews.com/darkalliance/drugs/start.htm

A drug dealer on economists' theories about drug dealing

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