Globalization, Growth, and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy (Policy Research Reports) [Paperback]

Paul Collier (Author), David Dollar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 082135048X | ISBN-13: 978-0821350485 | Publication Date: January 1, 2002

Globalization is already a powerful force for poverty reduction as societies and economies around the world are becoming more integrated. Although this international integration presents considerable opportunities for developing countries, it also contains significant risks. Associated with international integration are concerns about increasing inequality, shifting power, and cultural uniformity. 'Globalization, Growth, and Poverty' focuses on globalization in terms of growing economic integration resulting from the increased flow of goods and services, people, capital, and information. The report is primarily concerned with the effect that this growing integration has on economic growth and poverty reduction. It assesses the impact of globalization and addresses the ensuing anxieties. By focusing on specific policy recommendations, this report proposes an agenda for action aimed at minimizing the risks that globalization potentially generates, while maximizing the opportunities for the poor. A copublication of the World Bank and Oxford University Press.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A valuable contribution to the ongoing and often heated debate regarding international economic integration. It is comprehensive in scope, and it provides insightful policy proposals that are largely based on World Bank research.... a useful resource for those interested in the benefits of globalization and the distribution of those benefits."--Eastern Economic Review

"A very interesting book offering useful insight into the current policy debate about globalization . A well-documented book of important topical interest. It deserves to be widely read in both the developing and developed worlds."-- South-Eastern Europe Journal of Economics

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Paul Collier is at St Anthony's College, Oxford. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: World Bank Publications (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082135048X
• ISBN-13: 978-0821350485
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,649,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive discussion of Globalization, February 16, 2002

By 

Donald Steiny (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Globalization, Growth, and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy (Policy Research Reports) (Paperback)

The signal to noise ratio in the discussion of Globalization makes it hard to sort out what is really going on. Much of the discussion comes from anecdotal evidence or from a particular point of view. Of course, it is impossible to be completely objective about anything, but since the mission of the World Bank, the publishers of this study, is "a world free of poverty" it's point of view at least attempts to not view globalization from the perspective of any particular nation or group and to represent different views.

The result is a strongly documented case for the beneficial effects of our increasingly globalized world. This books is a good reference books with facts about the distribution of income, poverty rates throughout the world, changes in GDP over time and other things that are frequently misrepresented by anti-globalization folks.

The book covers many things that are in books like The Lexus and the Olive Tree, A Future Perfect and so on about how the legal and social structure affect investment and growth. This book references the original studies and is a good starting point for research.

It also points out that the forces towards globalization, better communication, transportation and financial markets can easily be stopped in their tracks by trade wars as happened in the 1930's so educating oneself about the benefits of an integrated world economy can help make sure we do not have a repeat of the Great Depression.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars about as good a case for globalization as you can make, February 16, 2005

By 

varmint (Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Globalization, Growth, and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy (A World Bank Publication Series) (Paperback)

I should say up-front that I disagree with the perspective of the writers--I am a firm opponent of neoliberalism (the current form of globalization. Please note, those of us in the global justice movement don't oppose globalization--we just want a different form of it.) I read this book hoping to find someone making a strong case for globalization, so I could understand the other side of the debate--both out of respect for my opponents and because it's always good to know thy enemy. Certainly, the arguments in here are much stronger than in Friedman's /The Lexus and the Olive Tree/ or Bhagwati's /In Defense of Globalization/, both of which are pretty fluffy. Collier and Dollar use statistics to support their position and lay out a much stronger intellectual framework than Friedman or Bhagwati in making the case for neoliberalism. They probably make about as strong a case as you could hope.

The core of their argument is that as countries integrate into the global economy, average income goes up. They also point that as countries integrate into the global economy, they tend to move from agricultural exports to manufacturing. On the face of it, this sounds good. But other things in their own book undermine this rosy picture. On pg. 49, they mention--only in passing--that this increase in income occurs only on average among third world countries--and that low-income countries actually see their average income go down when they integrate into the global economy. Oops. And then there's the fact they note that much of the rise of income goes to the well-educated, professionals and managers. Certainly, that would raise the average income--but a rise in average income doesn't mean the benefits are evenly distributed and, as they themselves admit, it seems to be going disproportionately to the already affluent--not the factory workers. Oops.

Then there are things Collier and Dollar don't deal with in the book that are also highly inconvenient. For instance, the reason agricultural exports go down with global integration is that third world countries get flooded with cheap food imports from first world nations, where agriculture is subsidized. Farmers producing for local markets are put out of business as a result. Collier and David note that people are moving in large numbers from rural areas to urban areas to work in manufacturing, citing this as proof that people embrace globalization. The problem is that a lot of these people don't have any choice. And they're moving from farms to urban slums, where--if they are luck enough to find work--it's in a sweatshop. While I certainly have no desire to romanticize small farming in the third world, the quality of life is still a lot better than living in a slum and working in a sweatshop. Of course, when you move from a small, rural farm to the city and begin working in a factory, your income does go up, at least as it registers in the World Bank's statistics. That does not equal an improvement in quality of life.

Collier and Dollar wave around some impressive sounding numbers, but once you put them in context, they don't look so good. The heart of their argument has holes you could drive a Mac truck through. The rest doesn't really matter. It was a nice try, but they just couldn't pull it off. Sorry guys.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, quite difficult/boring to read in places, September 10, 2010

By 

J. Duffy (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Globalization, Growth, and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy (Policy Research Reports) (Paperback)

It is a good book, yet i find that i disagree with the author in many places.