Perpetuating Poverty: The World Bank, the IMF, and the Developing World (Hardcover)

~ Doug Bandow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The editors and several of the contributing authors are affiliated with the Cato Institute, a moderately conservative Washington, D.C., think tank. Like liberal critics of international leading institutions (see Bruce Rich's Mortgaging the Earth , LJ 1/94, which points to grass-roots movements as the basis for alternative development), the authors argue that aid to the Third World has done little to stimulate development but a great deal to perpetuate poverty and national and lending bureaucracies. They argue that, in place of aid and loans, unhindered corporate capitalism and free trade will open the gates to economic growth and self-determination for underdeveloped countries. While their initial argument is recognized by many observers, there remains much debate about the cures for underdevelopment. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.
- Bill Rau, Takoma Park, Md.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

An expose of the scandalous record of the World Bank and IMF. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 362 pages
• Publisher: Cato Institute (January 25, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188257706X
• ISBN-13: 978-1882577064
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,211,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making mischief since way back, March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Perpetuating Poverty: The World Bank, the IMF, and the Developing World (Paperback)

I found this to be a cogent analysis of the two organizations in question, particularly in light of the recent turmoil they've caused in East Asia and Russia.

Through this book, we see that the IMF and the World Bank were making mischief abroad long before their more recent, more well publicized disasters. The word disaster is particularly appropriate in Indonesia; I hesitate to guess how many decades the country has been set back as a result of the IMF/World Bank meddling. For a good analysis, see books by Steve Hanke, such as _The Revolution in Development Economics_. Some of his articles are available on forbes.com.

I'd like to see an updated version of the book, to take into account the more recent boondoggles. The sad thing is that they not only have wasted billions of dollars, but often have left the recipients worse off than they were to begin with. The administrators of the organizations, of course, are living high on the hog all the while (to any IMF/World Bank top dogs who've recently taken a vow of poverty, my apologies), even as they're effectively impoverishing millions.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wondered why yout tax goes up and poverty remains?, March 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Perpetuating Poverty: The World Bank, the IMF, and the Developing World (Paperback)

Youre feeding a monster which doesn't care about people. It exists to perpetuate the corrupt oppressive and plain incompetent governments of various nations by bailing them out continuously. If you wanted to feed an african family would you buy them grain and tools or would you send the money to their rulers (with a couple of feeble conditions) and pretty much let them do what they like with it? The IMF is a power brokers dream, leeching funds from everyone and being accountable to none.

The previous readers precious nation states and their statists are the enemies of individual liberty, they are to blame - and we for letting them get away with it.

A good book, enough to make you think twice when you next hear about the billions pledged for this or that project which never seems to actually help anyone except global politicians.

2 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Anti-Nation State "Free Trade" propaganda, January 19, 1999

By A Customer

This book published by the (Richard Mellon Scaife funded) Cato Institute is in fact dedicated to perpetuating world poverty through "Free Trade" aimed at causing the destruction of the Nation State and insuring that even the idea of the Nation State is not allowed to exist. What this book secretly advocates is world slavery. What ever do the author/editors believe the United States was fighting against in the Revolutionary War against King George's British Empire. Don't they understand that America was fighting British Empire "Free Trade" aimed at stealing raw materials from the colonies, forcing them to buy British manufactured goods, thereby forcing the colonies to remain backward and undeveloped, just as England does today with their "colonies" in Africa. This book is the very dark "shadow of the glove" and purely propaganda.