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The cover of The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics

The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics

William R. Easterly

Why did the cures economists offered poor countries, from aid to education, fail to bring growth, and what might work instead?

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At a glance

Author
William R. Easterly

Why read it

  • You will stop assuming that more investment or more aid is enough to make a poor country grow
  • You will see that people respond to incentives, and that bad government and corruption can kill growth
  • You will learn to doubt a single magic remedy for a complex problem, however confident the experts sound

Who it is for

  • A donor or volunteer who wants their giving to work
  • A policy student weighing what helps poor countries
  • A professional working in emerging markets

Contents

  1. Prologue: The Quest
  2. Part I - Why Growth Matters
  3. Chapter 1 - To Help the Poor
  4. Intermezzo: In Search of a River
  5. Part II - Panaceas That Failed
  6. Chapter 2 - Aid for Investment
  7. Intermezzo: Parmila
  8. Chapter 3 - Solow's Surprise: Investment Is Not the Key to Growth
  9. Intermezzo: Dry Cornstalks
  10. Chapter 4 - Educated for What?
  11. Intermezzo: Without a Refuge
  12. Chapter 5 - Cash for Condoms?
  13. Intermezzo: Tomb Paintings
  14. Chapter 6 - The Loans That Were, the Growth That Wasn't
  15. Intermezzo: Leila's Story
  16. Chapter 7 - Forgive Us Our Debts
  17. Intermezzo: Cardboard House
  18. Part III - People Respond to Incentives
  19. Chapter 8 - Tales of Increasing Returns: Leaks, Matches, and Traps
  20. Intermezzo: War and Memory
  21. Chapter 9 - Creative Destruction: The Power of Technology
  22. Intermezzo: Accident in Jamaica
  23. Chapter 10 - Under an Evil Star
  24. Intermezzo: Favela Life
  25. Chapter 11 - Governments Can Kill Growth
  26. Intermezzo: Florence and Veronica
  27. Chapter 12 - Corruption and Growth
  28. Intermezzo: Discrimination in Palanpur
  29. Chapter 13 - Polarized Peoples
  30. Intermezzo: Violent for Centuries
  31. Chapter 14 - Conclusion: The View from Lahore
  32. References and Further Reading

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