PBH and Harberger

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We, the Cabinet of Phillips Brooks House Association, are writing to express our dismay and disapproval of Harvard's decision to offer Professor Arnold Harberger the post of director of the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID). Harberger's ties with the repressive milatary regimes of Latin America are well-known, especially his ties with Chile. In addition to being a consultant to the illegal government of General Pinochet, Harberger's students, the "Chicago boys," hold key positions in that government. It is time for economists like Harberger to realize that economics cannot be looked at in a vaccum, and that what's best for the rich countries is by no means best for the poor. In addition, Harberger and his colleagues fail to take income distribution into account, and when they boast that there has been "growth" and "progress" in Chile, one cannot help wondering "growth" for whom? Though he tried to explain his shady links with the Chilean junta on Sunday, February 17th, at the Kennedy School, those of us present remained unconvinced.

At Phillips Brooks House, we strive to help people, particularly from low income groups, gain control of their lives. We believe that Harberger's brand of economics, and all that it stands for, contradicts all our beliefs and objectives. We join, then, with other campus groups to protest Harvard's decision and to clarify that we will continue to oppose it. Mirai Chatterjee   for the Cabinet of PBHA