Jasper Becker

Journalist and writer Jasper Becker explains that falsified and manipulated statistics that misled both eastern bloc and western leaders were at the root of the failure of Communist regimes.

Becker says Communist and western leaders both genuinely believed that East Germany had a stronger economy than West Germany, that North Korea would overtake South Korea and that Mao’s China was a paradise for its peasants. Many western economists even saw the Communist model as superior to the western model. Becker says those who warned that unreliable economic data would lead to misallocation of investment and labour were ultimately vindicated. And he wonders why the same old clash of theories continues to shape today’s world.

Becker reported from China for 18 years including as bureau chief for the South China Morning Post. He is author of ten books including Hungry Ghosts: Mao’s Secret Famine.