Ha-Joon Chang - Bad Samaritans: Rich Nations, Poor Policies and the Threat to the Developing World

Its rare that a book appears with a fresh perspective on world affairs, but Ha-Joon Chang has some startlingly original things to say about globalization. In theory, he argues, the worlds wealthiest countries and major institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank, want to see all nations become modern, thriving societies. In practice, though, those at the top are kicking away the ladder to wealth that they themselves climbed.

In the course of his expos Chang reveals double standards at work everywhere: in policy-makers understanding of history, in their attitudes to such key issues as free trade and foreign investment, and in their baffling prejudices about national stereotypes and ideal forms of government. He shows precisely why these double standards have become so deeply embedded, and how they have damaged and continue to damage the developing world. And he convincingly demonstrates how a fairer and more prosperous global economy could be created if only the Bad Samaritans would accept the evidence that is actually staring them in the face.

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, whose previous winners include John Kenneth Galbraith and Amartya Sen. He has been on the editorial board of the Cambridge Journal of Economics since 1992.

Mozambiques economic miracle
How to escape poverty

Myths and facts about globalization

How did the rich countries become rich?

Is free trade always the answer?

Should we regulate foreign investment?

Private enterprise good, public enterprise bad?

Is it wrong to borrow ideas?

Can financial prudence go too far?

Should we turn our backs on corrupt and undemocratic countries?

Are some cultures incapable of economic development?

So Paulo, October 2037
Can things get better?

The Guilty Secrets of Rich Nations and
the Threat to Global Prosperity

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ISBN 9781905211371

To Hee-Jeong

The idea of writing an accessible book on globalization and development that is critical of the reigning orthodoxy first came from Duncan Green a few years ago. He convinced me that I have some unusual and interesting things to say on these topics and, therefore, that I should put them together for an audience that is much bigger than the one I usually write for. Initially, we were going to write the book together, combining his long-time experience as an NGO activist and my academic research, to produce something that has both a solid academic foundation and campaign flair. In the event, Duncan became the head of research at Oxfam and had to withdraw from the project due to his workload. But later, when I started to write the book on my own, he very kindly read all the chapters of the book (often more than one version of them) and provided me with insightful comments, both substantively and editorially. He also graciously put up with me ringing him up without warning to thrash out my ideas. I deeply thank him for his generosity, wisdom and patience.

When Duncan withdrew, the project lost its propeller and drifted rather aimlessly for a while. I became busy with other things and, more importantly, it was not easy to make the existence of my project known to the relevant publishers. Then Richard Toye kindly introduced me to Ivan Mulcahy, my literary agent. Ivan had a vision how to turn an undeveloped semi-academic treatise into a genuinely accessible book and taught me a lot of things in the art of writing for a wider audience. His colleague Jonathan Conway at Mulcahy & Viney also provided critical input in shaping the project.

In formulating the book, I benefited tremendously from discussions with Chris Cramer. He has always been a generous friend, but the intellectual energy he invested in helping me shape this book was exceptional even by his own high standards. Richard Toye not only introduced me to my literary agent but also provided very helpful comments on overall structure and some of the individual arguments of the book. Deepak Nayyar took time out from his busy schedule to go through my initial proposal and gave me a lot of sagacious comments. In developing the book, I have also benefited from discussions with Dean Baker, Jonathan di John, Barbara Harriss-White, Peter Nolan, Gabriel Palma, Bob Rowthorn, Ajit Singh, Rosemary Thorp, John Toye and Mark Weisbrot.

As I was writing the chapters, I received useful comments from a number of people. My sometime co-author, Ilene Grabel, read all the chapters and gave me very important feedback. Robert Molteno not only read all the chapters and gave me wonderful editorial advice but also provided useful comments. Peter Beattie, Shailaja Fennell, Elias Khalil, Amy Klatzkin, Kangkook Lee, Chris Pallas, Richard Schmale and Sarah Wood read earlier versions of some of the chapters and gave me helpful suggestions.

The book would not have had the richness of information without the help of three very able research assistants. Luba Fakrhutdinova was on call to provide help with all aspects of the book, especially data work. Hassan Akram excavated a lot of wonderful historical material for the culture chapter and also offered helpful comments on some of the other chapters. Ariane McCabe did a great job in finding material for a number of chapters, especially the chapter on intellectual property rights, on which she also provided useful comments. I would also like to thank Luiz de Andrade Filho and Kenia Parsons for their assistance.