I highly recommended Easterly's new work to my staff. Here is an excellent review from one of those who read it:
William Easterly – The Tyranny of Experts
Reviewed by Katelyn G.
William Easterly's The Tyranny of Experts is an eye-opening book and
worthwhile reading for anyone who wants to work in development or gain a deeper
understanding of effective methods to alleviate poverty. The book serves as a strong
argument in favor of spontaneous solutions to problems in development over an
authoritarian, technocratic approach that denies individual rights. Through many
historical examples from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, Easterly demonstrates
that although technocratic solutions may solve some development problems in the short
term, greater long-term prosperity can be achieved in societies that promote free trade,
innovation and entrepreneurship.
The sense of history within The Tyranny of Experts is one of its great strengths.
Critiquing “Blank Slate” thinking throughout the book, Easterly provides valuable
historical context to educate the reader on how current development thinking evolved,
tracing its beginnings to the post-colonial era, when Western powers needed a reason to
retain power and influence as their empires collapsed. Later, Cold War strategy would
lead countries like the United States to support autocratic leaders and technocratic
development initiatives that helped it retain influence in the face of the Communist threat.
It is clear that the Western approach to development has always served multiple political
purposes.
Easterly’s emphasis on history over the long term enables him to highlight how
different practices work over generations. For example, in discussing the insular trading
practices among the Maghribi people, Easterly is able to identify how the level of trust
between group members facilitated trade, but ultimately inhibited prosperity by limiting
with whom the group could and would trade. Again, Easterly brings home the message
that history must not be ignored, and therefore a good solution in one country may not be
the right solution for another based on the specific context of each.
Throughout The Tyranny of Experts, we see that poverty is complex, and not
caused by a lack of talent or intelligence among people who are just waiting for
development experts to save them (as the deeply racist post-colonial leaders seem to have
thought). This examination of history and motive makes for an exciting read, providing a
new lens through which to review topics most of us have researched before, like the slave
trade. Easterly argues that, “oppression has broad consequences that hold back
development” (159). He explains that even today, countries from which people were
taken to be sold as slaves experience greater levels of poverty, and are more reluctant to
trade with local neighboring communities that helped capture their people. Italy serves as
another example Easterly provides to highlight the long term consequences of oppression
as the author shows how Italian cities that experienced absolute rule in the twelfth
century and were more restricted in trade do not fare as well even today as those that
were free cities. A history of limited rights and damaged relationships negatively impacts
trade opportunities, thereby inhibiting development. Easterly’s examples demonstrate that
those consequences can last for centuries.
The book maintains credibility by acknowledging arguments his detractors could
make about the success of technocratic initiatives. Easterly questions solutions that, at
first glance, seem to have worked. One example provided is an autocratic Ethiopia’s
reduction of child mortality, which led to accolades from leaders and influences like
Tony Blair and Bill Gates. Easterly acknowledges this perceived success, but uncovers
flaws in reporting that call into question whether such results are worth. We find that
childhood mortality data is known to be imprecise, especially in nations where birth and
death rates are not reliably reported (123). Meanwhile, this Ethiopian regime was known
for oppressing political rivals and denying them food aid, a fact ignored by those who
were celebrating the regime’s success in health initiatives.
I also want to credit Easterly for consistency in his approach. When he argues in
favor of protecting individual rights to promote prosperity, he values the individual above
the state. I was struck by his inclusion of arguments in favor of freedom of movement,
which particularly caught my attention, as the immigration debate is ever ongoing.
Easterly gives the example that most Haitians who have lifted themselves out of poverty
are living outside of Haiti. In addition, he questions why a skilled professional like a
doctor from a poorer country should remain at home out of loyalty to the needs of his or
her country, particularly when that individual could live a much more prosperous life by
relocating to the United States. To see Easterly treat individual rights with enough
importance to transcend borders was especially refreshing after reading through the many
ways that racism has influenced development policy.
The ultimate purpose of all of this history, all these different case studies from
across the world, is to highlight how an emphasis on individual rights is proven to lead to
greater prosperity. Although an autocrat may be able to accomplish specific development
goals faster, it may not be sustainable or worth the price of oppression. Easterly writes
that, “oppression has broad consequences that hold back development” (159). As we have
seen in the examples I have cited, the negative consequences of autocratic rule can last
for generations.
Of course, moving away from autocracies cannot happen overnight, and in certain
cases it may make sense to support positive initiatives that will promote health, and
therefore prosperity, even if the government itself is deeply flawed. In reading The
Tyranny of Experts, I appreciated that Easterly is ever grounded in reality, and the author
posits that, “an incremental positive change in freedom will yield a positive change in
well-being for the world's poor.” Although change will not happen instantaneously,
moving toward greater autonomy will encourage innovation, trade and prosperity.
Easterly concludes that we must not be “seduced” by seemingly benevolent
autocrats, whose power means that they can accomplish development goals faster, but at
too great a cost. It is here that I believe Easterly misses an opportunity. I would have been
interested to see the book discuss the rights of women in relation to autocracies. To me,
this would have been particularly relevant, as rights for women have been known to
increase under autocrats. Under Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, women enjoyed such
perks as proportional representation in parliament. As Mubarak’s government was
overthrown and a new government was forming, laws that increased the rights of women
were labeled, “Suzanne’s Laws” after Mubarak’s wife, linked to the old regime and seen
as initiative’s whose true purpose was to appease the West. This strange connection
between women’s rights and oppressive rule is part of the reason women so often see
their rights disappear during political transition. I would be interested to see Easterly
include a comparison of case studies specific to women in autocratic societies versus free
societies. Such a discussion could have fit nicely with Easterly's exploration of the
decline of child mortality in Ethiopia, and how it led to the Western leaders overlooking
the problematic aspects of a dictator's rule (such as denying political opponents food aid).
And as Whole Planet Foundation has a strong focus on empowered women changing
their own lives through entrepreneurship, it would have made the book even more
relevant to our work (surprisingly, Easterly did not write this book only for us).
The Tyranny of Experts is a valuable history lesson and a highly recommended
read. It will ask the reader to question “facts” and statistics presented by development
institutions, to rethink old ideas about historical events and to value the rights of the
individual, even when an autocrat manages to accomplish some good initiatives. I often
think that confirmation bias causes people to seek out books that will verify what they
already think, and that it is difficult to change anyone’s opinion. I believe this book
presents arguments compelling enough to challenge existing beliefs.
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Top reviews from other countries
Wolfgang Ulbrich
Experten haben noch kein Land entwickelt
Reviewed in Germany on March 31, 2016