8 - The absentee ownership syndrome
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
Summary
The central theme of this book is the analysis of interactions in social systems. As a first (and perhaps easier) step we will study the consequences of a lack of interaction between social agents. For instance, what happens when there are no interactions between landowners and tenants, holding companies and employees, governments and subjects? These questions might seem fairly difficult, but fortunately we have a good starting point because we can rely on the results of a famous experiment performed by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s.
First of all, to introduce the issue of absentee ownership, we describe landownership in the Philippines and Japan as seen by General Douglas MacArthur.
Land reform in Japan under General MacArthur
After General MacArthur retook Luzon in March 1945, some of his officers suggested that he send a punitive expedition against the Huks who were waging a guerrilla war in Central Luzon to dispossess the landlords. He refused and justified his position in the following way (Manchester 1978, p. 420).
Tarlac [located 100 kilometers to the north-west of Manila] marks the border between the sugar economy and the rice country. North of them the people grow rice and most of them own small areas of land. Did you notice how many schools there are up there, how the people dressed, looked happy? Do you see the hangdog look they have here, resentful, poorly dressed? Most of this land is owned in Madrid or Chicago or some other distant place. This is really absentee ownership. No pride, few schools, little participation in government. This is where organizations like the Hukbalahaps are born and get their strength. […]
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- Driving Forces in Physical, Biological and Socio-economic PhenomenaA Network Science Investigation of Social Bonds and Interactions, pp. 150 - 168Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007