Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective'The most important book about the world economy to be published in years.' Prospect 'This book is a joy: a fantastically useful teaching aid... a very necessary historical conscience in an age of amnesia.' The Business Economist 'A provocative critique of mainstream economists' sermons directed to developing countries... It demands attention.' Charles Kindleberger, Emeritus Professor of Economics, MIT 'A scholarly tour-de-force... essential reading for industrial policy-makers in the twenty-first century.' Lance Taylor, Professor of Economics, New School University '...a lively, knowledgeable and original contribution to international political economy.' John Toye, Professor of Economics, University of Oxford '...an original and immensely valuable contribution to current debates on development.' Peter Evans, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley How did the rich countries really become rich? In this provocative study, Ha-Joon Chang examines the great pressure on developing countries from the developed world to adopt certain 'good policies' and 'good institutions', seen today as necessary for economic development. Adopting an historical approach, Dr Chang finds that the economic evolution of now-developed countries differed dramatically from the procedures that they now recommend to poorer nations. His conclusions are compelling and disturbing: that developed countries are attempting to 'kick away the ladder' by which they have climbed to the top, thereby preventing developing countries from adopting policies and institutions that they themselves used. |
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activist ITT policies American argue Austria average tariff Bairoch bankruptcy law banned Belgium Britain British bureaucracy cartels cent p.a. central bank chapter child labour companies competition law Corn Law cotton coun decades democracy Denmark developing countries early twentieth centuries East Asian economic development Economic History especially established example export France free trade further details Garraty and Carnes Germany Ha-Joon Chang important income tax industrial policy infant industry argument infant industry promotion infant industry protection institutional development introduced investment Italy Japan Kicking Kindleberger Korea Ladder laissez-faire late nineteenth century limited liability London manufacturing modern monopoly NDCs NDCs in earlier Netherlands Norway Oxford University Press patent law period policies and institutions political Portugal postwar protectionism protectionist Prussia reform regime Second World social welfare institutions Spain subsidies Sweden Switzerland tariff protection textile today's developing countries unequal treaties wool World Bank