There is book out based on the doctoral dissertation of S Ann Dunham -
"Surviving against the Odds: Village Industry in Indonesia" that I think shows a clear understanding of economic exploitation and a potential solution.

The legacy of western imperialism is that there was never any interest in spreading democracy or improving the standard of living for anyone..
merely to create wealth for the privileged few. we give lip service to the idea, but in practice we support anyone we think will stay bribed. that's how the west "lost" Cuba.... Castro played the players.