[crdoconnor]

"And yet, the countries which had sweatshops, like China, India, Vietnam, etc. have had huge success in bringing their population out of poverty."

Most of the countries that have moved from 3rd to first world status have done so only after a massive wave of strikes to improve pay and working conditions in sweatshops (usually brutally suppressed).

"The countries which didn't, like most of Africa"

Correlation != causation and yes, there are sweatshops in Africa. Africa's struggle to escape from poverty is hampered by a lack of good governance and infrastructure - coincidentally two things sweatshop owners also want.

[saint_fiasco]

Sweatshop owners want good governance and infrastructure. That's how they protect their capital investments.

Who would open a sweatshop in a place where the government could expropriate it, organized crime could take it over, or a simple rain could make the workplace inaccessible and the merchandise stuck in a warehouse?

[crdoconnor]

Well, exactly. However, just because they want these things and pile in when they appear doesn't meant that they should take credit for them happening.