In many ways, New Orleans is a Third World city that accidentally ended up in the United States. A little history helps explain why events evolved as they did in recent weeks and how that evolution might continue as the city rebuilds.
My assertion is not intended as an insult. In important ways New Orleans is a modern American city. Yet elements common to Caracas, Lagos or Jakarta linger in New Orleans as they do in nowhere else in our country.
This is a vestige of history. New Orleans belonged to France or Spain for 90 years before the U.S. acquired it in the Louisiana Purchase. By then, it had established the economic and social structures of a French colony. Britain’s ethnic cleansing of Acadians from French Nova Scotia to Louisiana after the French and Indian War only accentuated this culture.
So how is New Orleans a Third World city? First, the gap between rich and poor is extreme. Though such gaps exist in Chicago, Atlanta, Charleston, S.C., or even St. Paul, the income differences are not as stark. Nor are the relative proportions of poor and rich as skewed.
Second, New Orleans retains an economic, social and political elite based on old money. Birth and family still matter in many cities, including Boston, Richmond and Charleston, but nowhere else is this as important economically as in New Orleans. Though modern corporations and an educated middle class also are important, a select group of families still exercise economic and political power as in few other cities.
Third, an element of corruption remains important in Louisiana politics. Many other U.S. cities have some corruption. Minneapolis between the World Wars probably was more corrupt than New Orleans today. But it remains possible for Louisiana politicians to enrich themselves through public office without sacrificing votes.
Journalist and New Orleans native Cokie Roberts’ appearance on David Letterman’s show this week illustrated the point. (Roberts is the daughter of Louisiana Rep. Hale Boggs, the Democratic majority leader killed in a 1972 plane crash.)
Her first suggestion for speeding reconstruction was that Edwin Edwards be released from jail. Edwards is the former Louisiana governor serving 10 years for selling riverboat casino licenses. Roberts’ explanation that while corrupt, Edwards “knows how to get things done,” will resonate with anyone who has lived in Latin America or Africa.
Finally, Louisiana — like Venezuela and Nigeria – has been cursed with oil. Easy money from abundant petroleum inhibited development of a more diverse economy with higher employment. Easy revenue from oil allows state and local government to continue spending money ineffectively without triggering citizen outcries.
The people of New Orleans can be as courageous and resilient as any other U.S. citizens. But the economic and political culture of the city and state may inhibit recovery just as they have inhibited economic development for generations.
© 2005 Edward Lotterman
Chanarambie Consulting, Inc.