The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can be Done about it (by Paul Collier) - A Discussion

Abstract

Former Director of Development Research at the World Bank and now Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University, Paul Collier has produced a broad, condensed, accessible book about why one sixth of the world's population suffers long-term poverty and what can and should be done about it. Given Collier's status in research and practice, the significance of the issues he raises and the critical reception of his book, his arguments deserve careful examination by those concerned with aid policy and its implementation.