A Nobel Prize-winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the
world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the
past two and half centuries
The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier,
wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many
has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great
Escape, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton--one of the foremost
experts on economic development and on poverty--tells the remarkable
story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world
experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage
for today's disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth
look at the historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth
of nations, and addresses what needs to be done to help those left
behind.
Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes
of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one
hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He
examines the United States, a nation that has prospered but is today
experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He also considers
how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more
than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been
ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative efforts--including
reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting trade
restrictions--that will allow the developing world to bring about its
own Great Escape.
Demonstrating how changes in health and living standards have
transformed our lives, The Great Escape is a powerful guide to
addressing the well-being of all nations.
