But at an individual level, the alternative of not outsourcing is worse for the person that would receive the wage.

At a macro level, I’d also like to point at the China - US outsourcing story, and how it’s going regarding hollowing out of industries, IP and know-how transfer, and plain old money transfer. It’s not going too bad for China for the moment...

All thanks to China's economic policy. They managed to suck out the wealth of the west for years, something they could do because they were and are in a privileged position. It is not the same for many other developed countries. In fact if you don't consider China, since 1981 we have 1 billion more poor people in the world.

They were in the privileged position of earning very little, right? That’s my whole point!

No. Earning very little alone means nothing. Some countries with cheap labor have developed, others have not.

> thanks to western exploitation

I can believe the exploitation part. There is certainly corruption everywhere which is often part of the cause.

But citation needed for the western part please.

Just read any modern history? Of course western is reductive, not only western powers are exploitative. But check what western powers did in Africa for example. Check what they do and did in Latin America. In the middle east and part of Asia too.

What makes us exploitative is the fact that we go in poor countries and buy their best resources/workforce for the cheapest price possible, without caring if the money we pay even goes to benefit the population, (as often it only goes to benefit a few corrupt politicans/corporations). It's exploitation because we don't really help them get out of poverty but rather condemn them to a vicious circle of being dependent from us.