Wars, Guns, and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places

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Harper Collins, Jan 23, 2009 - Political Science - 276 pages
An expert on developing nations offers “accessible and very sensible analysis” of America’s promotion of democracy abroad—and why it often fails (Publishers Weekly).

Oxford economist Paul Collier gives an eye-opening assessment of the corruption and political violence that plague developing nations across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. While many of these governments meet America’s standards for democracy, Collier shows that they lack the essential infrastructure to make democracy work—such as a free press, the rule of law, and election transparency.

Sharing rigorous analysis in accessible language, Collier presents numerous case studies where the façade of democracy gives legitimacy to autocratic leaders and enables tribal warfare. Groundbreaking and provocative, Wars, Guns, and Votes is a passionate and convincing argument for the peaceful development of the most volatile places on earth.

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About the author (2009)

Paul Collier is the Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. He is the author of The Bottom Billion, which won the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Arthur Ross Prize awarded by the Council on Foreign Relations, The Plundered Planet, Exodus and Refuge (with Alexander Betts). Collier has served as Director of the Research Department of the World Bank, and consults with the German and many other governments around the world.

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