Bruce Wydick - Shrewd Samaritan: Faith, Economics, and the Road to Loving Our Global Neighbor

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PRAISE FOR SHREWD SAMARITAN

I cannot think of a better book on how to take small steps toward making our world a little less poor and unequal. I cannot think of many more careful, caring, and entertaining messengers than Bruce Wydick. He is the expert you want to invite into your living room to walk you through the business of saving the world, one sponsorship, classroom, or micro-loan at a time. I would recommend this beautifully written book to any friend, parent, or student of mine.

CHRIS BLATTMAN, RAMALEE E. PEARSON PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL CONFLICT STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Bruce Wydick is one of the worlds leading thinkers about the intersection of Christian faith and cutting-edge development economics research.

JAMES CHOI, PROFESSOR OF FINANCE, YALE UNIVERSITY

Shrewd Samaritan illustrates why Bruce Wydick is one of the leadingand most usefulChristian economists in the world. Synthesizing the latest research, biblical wisdom, and a highly-accessible style, Bruce cuts a clear path through mountains of complexity. Highly recommended for anybody seeking to emulate the head, heart, and hands of Jesus Christ.

BRIAN FIKKERT, PRESIDENT OF THE CHALMERS CENTER AT COVENANT COLLEGE AND COAUTHOR OF WHEN HELPING HURTS

High callings merit hard data. Bruce Wydick lays out a vision for service to others that is rigorously inquisitive and empiricalnot instead of but because it is deeply grounded in faith.

PAUL NIEHAUS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT U.C. SAN DIEGO AND COFOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF GIVEDIRECTLY

This is a must-buy book for anyone who wants to contribute their treasure, time, and talent to help others. Bruce Wydick combines a deep, faith-based concern for the poor with exceptional skill as an economic researcher to offer insightful, actionable guidance to us all.

CHRIS BARRETT, ASHLEY PROFESSOR OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Simply superb! Wydick masterfully combines the best current scholarly research with moving stories and lucid writing. This book offers an amazing combination of sophisticated academic scholarship by a distinguished economist with clear, moving writing and concrete, practical application. Wydick even manages to make technical issues intelligible to the average reader. This is superb popularization at its best. A must-read.

RON SIDER, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF THEOLOGY AT EASTERN UNIVERSITY, PAST PRESIDENT OF EVANGELICALS FOR SOCIAL ACTION, AND AUTHOR OF RICH CHRISTIANS IN AN AGE OF HUNGER

If you think global poverty is an intractable problem with no solutions, think again. Bruce Wydick provides clear evidence of how any person can not just give but give effectively. Amid so much poverty in the world and so many organizations clamoring for support, he shows clearly which programs can turn you from a Well-Intentioned Samaritan into an effective, Truly Good Samaritan. Wydicks tireless work in helping organizations evaluate the effectiveness of their programs inspires, and his research on child sponsorship programs has influenced my own familys giving.

DAVID EVANS, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, WASHINGTON D.C., FORMERLY LEAD ECONOMIST AT THE WORLD BANK, AND COAUTHOR OF THE 2018 WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Born from years of rigorous research and a genuine passion for poverty alleviation, this book is a valuable resource and a compelling read for anyone with a heart to help the poor. Intelligently informed and crafted with warmth, compassion, and humor, let Shrewd Samaritan be your guide to investing in effective interventions on behalf of the most vulnerable among us.

SANTIAGO JIMMY MELLADO, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

This book makes it very evident that Bruce Wydick has a singularly important capacity to unite the best insights of rigorous economic research with a deep commitment to serving the human dignity of all, to the great benefit of both our economics and our moral lives.

PAOLO CARROZA, DIRECTOR OF THE KELLOGG INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

Bruce Wydick shows us how combining a deep ethical commitment to the promotion of human welfare with rigorous research skills in economics and impact-evaluation methods can help us make wise choices as to how to get effectively involved with this important and potentially highly rewarding project. His own experiences in the field and his professional way of thinking about it will be a source of inspiration for many who want to understand how we got to where we are with global poverty, inequality, and injusticeand how to use time and money to potentially do something meaningful about it.

ALAIN DE JANVRY, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AT THE GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY

A compelling and insightful book on the underlying causes of poverty and prosperity, the poverty traps that perpetuate inequality, and solutions that recognize and affirm human dignity. Wydick carefully examines the evidence for different approaches and provides both a cogent and compassionate reflection on what works best.

DIANNE CALVI, CEO OF VILLAGE ENTERPRISE

Bruce has a unique perspective on the world. His training as an economist and his commitment to following Christ leads him to ask questions that economists, aid workers, and people of faith rarely do, and to use tools and perspectives that ensure the answers he finds are trustworthy and reliable. This book will make you better at loving your neighbor in need whether next door, downtown, or in another country.

TIM OGDEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE FINANCIAL ACCESS INITIATIVE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Bruce Wydicks Shrewd Samaritan combines the gifts of a storyteller with the mind of an economist, showing us how the responsibility to love our neighbors can be motivated by both compassion and prudence. I have not read a better book about how Christians should think about global poverty.

MATTHEW ROSE, DIRECTOR OF THE BERKELEY INSTITUTE

People of faith are commanded to care for the least of these, but in a world with scarce resources and a desire to truly help, what works and what doesnt? Bruce Wydick has written a book filling a much-needed space at the intersection of compassion, faith, and credible public policy. It covers such topics as the causes and consequences of poverty, as well as contemporary efforts to escape these traps through microfinance, cash transfer, and more. This is a source of wisdom for those of us desiring to care for our neighbor by addressing their impoverishment.

SCOTT CUNNINGHAM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Shrewd Samaritan is an invaluable gift to anyone who wants to love their global neighbors well. As an economist with lots of practical experience, Wydick guides us through international complexities and the latest research, while also remaining attentive to the importance of faith and dignity. We learn insightful ways to think, act, and giveall in service of love.

KENT ANNAN, DIRECTOR OF HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER LEADERSHIP AT WHEATON COLLEGE, AUTHOR OF YOU WELCOMED ME AND SLOW KINGDOM COMING

This book is for all who have a heart for the needs of others and want to make a real difference. Wydick draws on his extensive experience as a professor of economics on the ground in many poor countries, and his study of child sponsorship, microfinance, and education, to give us new perspective. With wit and winsomeness, he explains how a better understanding of ourselves, those in need, and the economics of poverty will help turn our faithful compassion into effective help.