False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World - Softcover

Beattie, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141033703 ISBN 13: 9780141033709

Publisher: Penguin, 2010

Synopsis

Why do oil and diamonds lead to economic disaster more often than boom? Why doesn't Africa grow cocaine? Why might believing in God be good for your balance-sheet? In 2001 Argentina's government bankrupted itself, yet for the past two hundred years it had enjoyed a vista of economic opportunity almost identical to that of the USA. Why did the USA succeed while Argentina stalled? Botswana and Sierra Leone are both blessed with abundant diamonds. Why did Botswana became the world's fastest-growing economy while Sierra Leone suffered a decade of brutal civil war? In False Economy, Alan Beattie uses extraordinary stories of economic triumph and disaster to explain how some countries went wrong while others went right, and why it's so difficult to change course once you're on the path to ruin.

About this title

Review:

"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"

"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"

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

From the Back Cover:

Why are Giant Pandas more trouble than they're worth?
Why does you keyboard still spell QWERTY?
Why do oil and diamonds lead to economic disaster more often than boom?
Why might believing in God be good for your balance-sheet?
Why did Indonesia prosper under a corrupt ruler while Tanzania stayed poor under an honest one?Why is Egypt, once the bread basket of the Mediterranean, now one of the biggest grain-importers in the world?

"Alan Beattie's forensic analysis shows facts can be a force for change. Give people the facts, and they'll do the right thing." - Bono

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0141033703
• ISBN 13: 9780141033709
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336