Book description
It's rare that a book appears with a fresh perspective on world
affairs, but renowned economist Ha-Joon Chang has some startlingly
original things to say about the future of globalization. In theory,
he argues, the world's wealthiest countries and supra-national
institutions like the IMF, World Bank and WTO want to see all
nations developing into modern industrial societies. In practice,
though, those at the top are 'kicking away the ladder' to wealth that
they themselves climbed.
Why? Self-interest certainly plays a part. But, more often, rich and
powerful governments and institutions are actually being 'Bad
Samaritans': their intentions are worthy but their simplistic
free-market ideology and poor understanding of history leads them to
inflict policy errors on others. Chang demonstrates this by
contrasting the route to success of economically vibrant countries
with the very different route now being dictated to the world's poorer
nations. In the course of this, he shows just how muddled the thinking
is in such key areas as trade and foreign investment. He shows that
the case for privatisation and against state involvement is far from
proven. And he explores the ways in which attitudes to national
cultures and political ideologies are obscuring clear thinking and
creating bad policy. Finally, he argues the case for new strategies
for a more prosperous world that may appall the 'Bad Samaritans'.
Ha-Joon Chang
is a Cambridge economist who, for the past two decades, has taught and
researched issues related to economic development and globalisation. He
has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank, the Asian
Development Bank, various UN agencies and for the governments of Brazil,
Canada, Japan, South Africa, the UK, and Venezuela. He has published
numerous articles and books, including
Kicking Away the Ladder -
Development Strategy in Historical Perspective
, which won the 2003 Myrdal Prize and has been translated into seven
languages . In 2005, he and Richard Nelson of Columbia University
received the Leontief Prize. He has been on the editorial board of the
Cambridge Journal of Economics
since 1992.
