
The Bottom Billion
Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It
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Narrated by:
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Gideon Emery
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By:
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Paul Collier
About this listen
In the universally acclaimed and award-winning The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier reveals that 50 failed states - home to the poorest one billion people on earth - pose the central challenge of the developing world in the 21st century. The book shines much-needed light on this group of small nations, largely unnoticed by the industrialized West, that are dropping further and further behind the majority of the world's people, often falling into an absolute decline in living standards.
A struggle rages within each of these nations between reformers and corrupt leaders - and the corrupt are winning. Collier analyzes the causes of failure, pointing to a set of traps that ensnare these countries, including civil war, a dependence on the extraction and export of natural resources, and bad governance. Standard solutions do not work, he writes; aid is often ineffective, and globalization can actually make matters worse, driving development to more stable nations.
What the bottom billion need, Collier argues, is a bold new plan supported by the Group of Eight industrialized nations. If failed states are ever to be helped, the G8 will have to adopt preferential trade policies, new laws against corruption, new international charters, and even conduct carefully calibrated military interventions. Collier has spent a lifetime working to end global poverty. In The Bottom Billion, he offers real hope for solving one of the great humanitarian crises facing the world today.
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Critic reviews
"If Sachs seems too saintly and Easterly too cynical, then Collier is the authentic old Africa hand: he knows the terrain and has a keen ear.... If you've ever found yourself on one side or the other of those arguments -and who hasn't? - then you simply must read this book." (Niall Ferguson, The New York Times Book Review)
Brilliant analysis of the problem, but solutions?
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Would you listen to The Bottom Billion again? Why?
This book has so many amazing statistics to teach about the reality of the current economic model, drawing from the past and projecting into the future. Personally, I feel that a more creative interpretation would be beneficial to "unsticking" the bottom billion by cross-pollinating economics and politics with humanities and philosophy. For example, why not suggest restructuring the military of developed countries to primarily aid the bottom billion by supporting their infrastructure during ecological crisis as well as socio-economic. This restructuring of the current system (first from the top and then to bottom) supports it's growth by making space and eliminating what is outdated and no longer useful.Impressive yet conservatively based
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What made the experience of listening to The Bottom Billion the most enjoyable?
It was an interesting rationale on why poverty is cyclical.Would you recommend The Bottom Billion to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes it is a strong body of research that lends an idea to why countries have a difficult time developing their economies.What about Gideon Emery’s performance did you like?
It was fair, he seemed to enjoy telling the story.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I enjoyed the portion that offered solutions to the challenges faced by impoverished nationsVery good use of empirical evidence
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A gift to the development community.
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One of Best Modern Writers in Economics
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no easy fix
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Blueprint to close the gap
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Yet, the book is hopeful in offering new solutions, some that may interest business people such as low end insurance products.
Overall this book was compelling, and interesting from start to finish.
Gare Henderson
Is poverty a disease or a wound?
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excellent book providing a great view of the "help the poor business"
why have all leaders not red this yet?
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A must read for global citizens
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