In arguing here that vandalism such as French car-burning is an economic boon, Dalrymple is surely being sarcastic. But that’s not to say some government functionary somewhere doesn’t actually believe it. Regardless, the solution is more Bastiat.
The Skeptical Doctor
Dedicated to the work of Theodore Dalrymple
Well, rather than car burning, we should probably have wished for a earthquake/tsunami of sorts, a least one american economist thinks it good for the economy:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/meltdown-macroeconomics/
Though why this solution would work in Japan and not Haiti is beyond me. Still, remember WW2 ended the great depression.