Connectivity/ Inter-connectivity

Back in September last year, I posted on African trade links and the relationship with internet, shipping and airline connectivity. That post linked to an AidWatch post with three graphics showing these connections with Africa. AidWatch proposed causality for African poverty from a (relative) lack of these three infrastructure connections. I suggested this was merely pinko sentiment for "build it and they will come", which itself is a Keynesian misinterpretation of Say's Law of Markets. As I explained in my September post, there's a bunch of things that need to precede these infrastructure (which are a source of supply), in order for them to then allow foundation for effective demand.

Nick Gogerty from Designing Better Futures has just posted a similar, more recent graphic from AidWatch in his post Could You Disconnect, Even If You Wanted To? This graphic shows connectivity across the world via distance from major cities as a function of geography and time. Whilst the graphic points out that same lack of macro connectivity as the earlier one I reference above, it also interestingly shows that intra-continental African connectivity is not so bad. What also surprised me was the high level of domestic connectivity across the whole of India despite it being a developing country, and the low level across Australia as a whole despite it being firmly first world. Clearly population levels play a part. Nick's post is well worth a read.