The Bottom Billion Summary

BOOK REVIEW

“The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It”

Oxford University Press £16.99, pp205

Paul Collier

Book Review submitted to the Department of Development Studies, Kathmandu University in the Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the course of

Development Concepts

Submitted by

Biplav Acharya

June, 2015

About the Author:

Professor Sir Paul Collier is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government; a Professorial Fellow of St Antony’s College; and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies, Oxford.

About the Book:

Paul Collier’s book The Bottom Billion shows what is happening to the poorest people in the world,

For countries lucky enough to be on the coast, with a large workforce, governance doesn't matter too much because the export growth can take off. But for smaller landlocked countries, dependent on aid-flows or natural resource revenues, governance is decisive.

One of the four traps, or combined of two or more, is responsible for the worsening economic status of the bottom billion. Collier says we must deal with these four poverty traps straightforwardly. Collier outlines the measures necessary to break the traps and encourage economic development. Some measures he suggests are- aid, military intervention, laws and charters, and trade policy. The extent to which each measure will be useful depends on the particular trap of each country.

Landlocked countries will need long-term aid because they are at a huge geographical weakness. And the countries of the bottom billion will have to be given privileged access to the global market. Collier suggests that aid that contributes to improving the country’s transportation and infrastructure may have better results for the long-term development of the

The book is rich in recommendations. I liked Collier’s offensive approach towards the ill-advised economics of many non-governmental organisations.

Personally, I recommend this book. The book is highly readable as Collier himself says, “it is written to be read.” The Bottom Billion is an interesting book full of informative stories of the obstacles to development. The reader will come with a better understanding of underdevelopment, and the importance and difficulty of tackling it. Collier’s most controversial suggestion is the use of military intervention to reduce conflict and guarantee democracy.

I agree with most of the arguments of the book, but, I must say that some arguments were hypothetical. The book is motivating, especially for readers like me who is born and raised in a developing country, providing hope for the betterment.

I disagree with some of the solutions Collier has proposed. Of all, military intervention seemed like off the beam solution for