In reference to the company Nike, a Daily Mail article reads, “They're one of the world's top sports clothing brands, but for years Nike have been dogged by allegations of sweatshops and child labour.” The Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Freidman once said, “The world runs on individuals pursuing their self interests.” Nike uses third world labor because it is cheaper than paying citizens of developed countries to produce Nike products. Nike’s motive is one hundred percent self-centered, but this does not mean Nike’s actions are harmful. In fact, Nike’s use of sweatshops and child labor benefits third world workers, reduces poverty, and hastens the development of the countries in which the sweatshops operate. In comparison with Western standards, third-world sweatshops may appear cruel and unfair, but eliminating them removes a viable pathway out of poverty for poor workers, which often results in these workers taking jobs in worse conditions for less pay.
