If we receive the same value for lower cost, that's as good as an increase in productivity: I can earn the same money and afford a better living standard. Moreover, this kind of advance benefits the poor disproportionately (relative to the kind the author addresses).
[1] http://www.epi.org/press/globalization-lowered-wages-america...
I disagree. I think it only assumes that relative wages fall less than the relative incremental value of the new tech increases.
> Wages are a function of supply and demand
Yeah, but my point is that wages in isolation don't tell you much. The difficult-to-measure value accessible with those wages matters too.
> A good example is the effect globalization has had on the Midwest[1]
Irrelevant. Globalization need not move in lockstep with new technology.
I don't want to be reductionist, and perhaps my original comment came across as overconfident. My core assertion is that "it's not that simple," which decreases the value of conclusions based on oversimplified analysis. I think the article is oversimplified.