Rich World, Poor World

A landmark history of the world economic order, exploring how developing countries have fought to escape impoverishment   Over the past two decades, experiments in neoliberal economics have opened up a chasm of inequality between the Global South and the West. Development advice from richer nations has led to social upheaval, political unrest, environmental degradation—and even the creation of a new underclass. Brutal extremes of wealth and poverty are now commonplace.   Ali A. Allawi traces the evolution of the world economic order from the late imperial era to the present day. Shedding light on continuing controversies, Allawi shows how the process of development has been hindered at every turn, from poor leadership and lost opportunities to widespread corruption. In doing so, he argues that the current neoliberal consensus is only the most recent of a series of failed policy imperatives.   Covering issues in the Global South as well as failures in the West, this definitive account offers an impassioned and authoritative call for change.

“Allawi . . . is a fine writer, scholarly and opinionated yet evenhanded. . . . Fine history and equally fine economics.”—Kirkus Reviews “This is a valuable and authoritative account of the varying theories of development since 1945 and of what worked and didn’t work. The focus is on economic development and much less on human development, but it is an important read for all working in development.”—Clare Short, former Secretary of State for International Development and author of An Honourable Deception? “Covering diverse regions and told in the context of tumultuous geopolitics, Allawi’s account of the ‘age of development’ serves as a warning against peddlers of seductive development panaceas heedless of the complex histories of the societies that they seek to remold.”—Niall Kishtainy, author of A Little History of Economics “A genuinely outstanding work. It ranges comprehensively with both amazing erudition and remarkable knowledge of both national histories and published sources, and consistently makes for gripping reading.”—William D. Rubinstein, author of Men of Property

Ali A. Allawi is a politician and scholar, formerly Iraq’s deputy prime minister and finance minister. His previous books include The Occupation of Iraq, Faisal I of Iraq, and The Crisis of Islamic Civilization.