Rich World, Poor World

“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