The elusive quest for growth : Economists adventures and disadventures in the tropics

Since the end of World War II, economists have tried to figure approaching those of countries in Europe and North America. A myriad of remedies has not delivered the solutions promised. The problem is not the failure of economics, William Easterly argues, but the failure to apply economic principles to practical policy work. In this book Easterly shows how these solutions all violate the basic principle of economics, that people-private individuals and business, government officials, even aid donors-respond to incentives. Written in an accessible, at the times irreverent, style, Easterly's book combines modern growth theory with anecdotes from his fieldwork for the World Bank.