False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World

False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World

by Alan Beattie
False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World

False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World

by Alan Beattie

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Overview

A "provocative...persuasive" (The New York Times) book that examines countries' economic destinies.

In False Economy, Alan Beattie weaves together the economic choices, political choices, economic history, and human stories, that determine whether governments and countries remain rich or poor.

He also addresses larger questions about why they make the choices they do, and what those mean for the future of our global economy. But despite the heady subject matter, False Economy is a lively and lucid book that engagingly and thought-provokingly examines macroeconomics, economic topics, and the fault lines and successes that can make or break a culture or induce a global depression. Along the way, readers will discover why Africa doesn't grow cocaine, why our asparagus comes from Peru, why our keyboard spells QWERTY, and why giant pandas are living on borrowed time.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781101046890
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 04/16/2009
Sold by: Penguin Group
Format: eBook
Pages: 368
File size: 357 KB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

As International Economy Editor of the Financial Times and author of the bestselling False Economy, Alan Beattie writes about economic globalization, trade, development, and aid. Before joining the Financial Times, he was an economist at the Bank of England. He holds degrees from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in history and economics, respectively. He lives in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

1 Making Choices: Why Did Argentina Succeed And The United States Stall? 5

2 Cities: Why Didn't Washington, D.C., Get The Vote? 47

3 Trade: Why Does Egypt Import Half Its Staple Food? 79

4 Natural Resources: Why Are Oil And Diamonds More Trouble Than They Are Worth? 109

5 Religion: Why Don't Islamic Countries Get Rich? 139

6 Politics Of Development: Why Does Our Asparagus Come From Peru? 173

7 Trade Routes And Supply Chains: Why Doesn't Africa Grow Cocaine? 211

8 Corruption: Why Did Indonesia Prosper Under A Crooked Ruler And Tanzania Stay Poor Under An Honest One? 247

9 Path Dependence: Why Are Pandas So Useless? 281

10 Conclusion: Our Remedies Oft In Ourselves Do Lie 315

Acknowledgments 331

Selected Bibliography and Notes 333

Index 343

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

New York Times Bestseller

"A thorough examination of economies from the age of empire to the age of the IMF... Beattie's analysis dazzles." — The Washington Post

"Beattie, who studied history at Oxford University and economics at Cambridge, draws on both disciplines to overturn assumptions about the evolution of the global economy... False Economy is full of insightful nuggets." — BusinessWeek

"Provocative... It would be fun to talk with Mr. Beattie at a dinner party." — The New York Times

"Beattie's analytics show that facts can be a force for change. Give people hte facts, and they'll do the right thing." — Bono

"A fascinating and insightful book." — Mohamed A. El-Erian, CEO, PIMCO, and author of When Markets Collide

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