Books by William Easterly

A "bracingly iconoclastic" (New York Times) critique of global development that points a way toward respect for the poor and an end to global poverty

Over the 1980s and 1990s most Latin American countries witnessed a retrenchment of the public sector from infrastructure provision and an opening up of infrastruture activities to the private sector. This book analyses the consequences of these policy changes.

The authors challenge the assumption that we can bring about economic development and promote liberal democracies through direct foreign intervention - whether economic or military intervention. The lead author, William Easterly, drawing on his wide experience at the World Bank and as an academic, is a renowned sceptic of intervention.