The Economics of International Development
ByPublisher Description
Foreign aid and overseas military intervention have been important and controversial political topics for over a decade. The government’s controversial target to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid has been widely welcomed by some, but strongly criticised by others. Furthermore, the controversy of the Iraq war rumbles on, even today. This is all happening amongst much instability in many parts of the world.
In this short book, a number of authors challenge the assumption that we can bring about economic development and promote liberal democracies through direct foreign intervention – whether economic or military intervention. The lead author, William Easterly, drawing on his wide experience at the World Bank and as an academic, is a renowned sceptic of intervention. He points out that solutions proposed now to the problem of poverty are identical to solutions proposed decades ago – but the plans of rich governments simply do not successfully transform poor countries. Academics Abigail Hall-Blanco and Christian Bjornskov add further context and put forward empirical evidence that backs up Easterly’s argument. Syvlie Aboa-Bradwell draws upon her own practical experience to give examples of how people in poor countries can be assisted to promote their own development.
This book is essential reading for students, teachers and all interested in better understanding how to help – and how not to help – the world’s most disadvantaged peoples.
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About William Easterly
William Easterly is Professor of Economics at New York University and Co-Director of the New York University Development Research Institute, which works to bring high-quality economic research to the problems of world poverty. He has previously worked for the World Bank, the Institute for International Economics and the Centre for Global Development. Professor Easterly has been listed by various magazines as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers, as one of the top 100 global intellectuals and as one of the top 100 scientist stars of Twitter.
He has written a number of books about foreign aid and its effect on developing countries. His most recent book, The Tyranny of Experts, was a finalist for the Manhattan Institute’s Hayek Award (which he previously won in 2008 for his book The White Man’s Burden).
Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell
Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell is an award-winning entrepreneur, writer and educator. She is the founder and CEO of Medzan Training, a leadership and self-development training company. She has designed courses that provide leadership, self-development and motivational sessions to entrepreneurs, professionals and young people. She is also the founder and director of the Policy Centre for African Peoples.
Before founding the Policy Centre for African Peoples and Medzan Training, Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell served as UK Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, a Nigeria-based think tank, for over three years. Before that, she worked for institutions promoting human development, education and rights in Africa, Britain, Spain and elsewhere for nearly 10 years.
Christian Bjørnskov
Christian Bjørnskov is Professor of Economics at Aarhus University in Denmark. He is also affiliated with the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Stockholm, the Centre of Political Studies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Institute of Economic Affairs. Bjørnskov obtained his PhD from the Aarhus School of Business. His main research interests include long-run development processes, the economic consequences of informal institutions, as well as happiness economics. His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Public Choice, the Journal of Development Economics and Academy of Management Perspectives. He is a regular columnist at the Danish financial newspaper Børsen and a member of the editorial boards of Public Choice and the European Journal of Political Economy (http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/chbj@asb.dk).
Other books by Christian Bjørnskov
Abigail Hall-Blanco
Abigail Hall-Blanco is Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Tampa in Florida and a Research Fellow with the Independent Institute, a non-partisan research and educational think tank based in Oakland, California. She is an affiliated scholar with the Foundation for Economic Education. Blanco earned her PhD in economics from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in 2015. Her broader research interests include Austrian economics, political economy and public choice, defence and peace economics, and institutions and economic development. Her work includes topics surrounding the US military and national defence, including domestic police militarisation, arm sales, weapons as foreign aid, the cost of military mobilisation and the political economy of military technology. She is currently researching how foreign intervention adversely impacts domestic political, social and other institutions as well as pursuing additional research on policing in the US.
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