Bad Samaritans

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"Lucid, deeply informed, and enlivened with striking illustrations." -Noam Chomsky. One economist has called Ha-Joon Chang "the most exciting thinker our profession has turned out in the past fifteen years." In this provocative work, Chang enters the debate on globalization and economic justice with irreverent wit and a personal touch. He challenges the "World Is Flat" ideology promoted by Thomas Friedman and other liberal economists, who claim that unfettered capitalism and open trade are the keys to lifting nations out of poverty. Instead, Chang argues that today's economic superpowers, including the U.S., Britain, and Korea, achieved prosperity through protectionism and government intervention. We have forgotten this reality, perpetuating a fairy tale about free trade while imposing policies that benefit ourselves on developing nations through institutions like the World Bank, IMF, and WTO. Unlike typical economists who focus on theoretical models, Chang examines historical evidence, dismantling free-market myths. He highlights how developed countries grew by copying technologies and how many developing nations experienced higher GDP growth before being pressured to deregulate. Chang asserts that both justice and common sense demand a reevaluation of the policies imposed on struggling nations.