Global poverty, Paul Collier points out, is actually falling quite rapidly for about eighty percent of the world. The real crisis lies in a group of about 50 failing states, the bottom billion, whose problems defy traditional approaches to alleviating poverty.

In The Bottom Billion , Collier contends that these fifty failed states pose the central challenge of the developing world in the twenty-first century. The book shines a much needed light on this group of small nations, largely unnoticed by the industrialized West, that are dropping further and further behind the majority of the world's people, often falling into an absolute decline in living standards. A struggle rages within each of these nation between reformers and corrupt leaders--and the corrupt are winning. Collier analyzes the causes of failure, pointing to a set of traps that snare these countries, including civil war, a dependence on the extraction and export of natural resources, and bad governance. Standard solutions do not work against these traps, he writes; aid is often ineffective, and globalization can actually make matters worse, driving development to more stable nations. What the bottom billion need, Collier argues, is a bold new plan supported by the Group of Eight industrialized nations. If failed states are ever to be helped, the G8 will have to adopt preferential trade policies, new laws against corruption, and new international charters, and even conduct carefully calibrated military interventions.

When this book was chosen I went and bought it from Amazon out of habit since I like to buy my history books. Then I realized I have no reason to pay ten bucks for this book, but alas, even though it hasn't shipped they won't let me change the order.

What's their return policy like lol?

They'll take anything that isn't damaged as long as you get it back within 2 weeks. Cash or store credit.

truth?

so if i read it reallyquickly and don't put wear and tear on it, they'll take it back?

Nice. After I read a book it doesn't even look like its ever been opened. It drives my wife crazy.

I do this with certain books. I actually have been known to wear a glove on my left hand to avoid the stain from the oil in my skin, lol.

I couldn't find this at B&N. Then again, it took me 10 minutes just to find the economics section. Actually, I had to ask someone where it was.

in the intro, he intimates that capitalism is a zero-sum game by saying that "when one country succeeds, another fails" or something along those lines.

Read the first chapter last night. I'm very interested in these four "traps" he's about to begin discussing. On the other hand I really don't like that he won't list the countries that he's talking about, nor apparently present the actual data, and asks us to trust him that its there. I'm sure data is there, but I'd like to see it nonetheless, even if I may not understand all of it.