The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions - Hardcover

Jason Hickel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785151126 ISBN 13: 9781785151125

Publisher: Heinemann, 2017

Synopsis

Divide A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions

About this title

About the Author

Jason Hickel is an anthropologist at the London School of Economics. Originally from Swaziland, he spent a number of years living with migrant workers in South Africa, studying patterns of exploitation and political resistance in the wake of apartheid. Alongside his ethnographic work, he writes about development, inequality, and global political economy, contributing regularly to the Guardian, Al Jazeera and other online outlets. His work has been funded by Fulbright-Hays Program, the National Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Charlotte Newcombe Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. He lives in London.

Review

"There's no understanding global inequality without understanding its history. In The Divide, Jason Hickel brilliantly lays it out, layer upon layer, until you are left reeling with the outrage of it all." -- Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics "In this iconoclastic book, Jason Hickel shakes up the prevailing paradigm of "development" at its root. He not only exposes the fatal flaws in the standard model of development but also shows how the "development aid" given to the poor countries in order to promote that erroneous model is vastly outweighed by the resource transferred to the rich countries through an unfair global economic system. Many of the proposals that Hickel makes for institutional reform and intellectual re-framing may sound "mad", as he himself acknowledges, but history has taught us that mad ideas have the habit of becoming respectable over time. This book will radically change the way in which you understand the workings of the global economic system and the challenges faced by poor countries trying to advance within it." -- Ha-Joon Chang, University of Cambridge, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism and Economics: The User's Guide "With passion and panache, Jason Hickel tells a very different story of why poverty exists, what progress is, and who we are. The Divide is myth busting at its best. The West has controlled the rest through colonization, coups, trade and debt. Poor countries are made poor by this; but a dramatic change is coming." -- Danny Dorling, author of Inequality and the 1% "Jason Hickel tears apart the destructive myths surrounding global inequality. He shows that colonialism has not disappeared, only changed form. Full of explosive information and devastating argument, The Divide is essential reading." -- Raoul Martinez, author of Creating Freedom "We all like to think of aid and development as benign in a world full of inequality and violence. Jason Hickel rightly challenges this dangerous myth with a book that crackles with facts, indignation and heart. Why hasn't global poverty and hunger really declined in the last decades? A combination of NGO and government obfuscation, denial and wishful thinking is not helping the world's most vulnerable but marking them as numbers. Journalists, aid workers and anybody who has ever given aid (i.e. nearly everybody) should read this book to understand why we all have a responsibility to better serve our fellow human beings. Hickel should be applauded." -- Antony Loewenstein, author of Disaster Capitalism "The Divide should be on the curriculum of every undergraduate course in international development and international relations. It explains better than most how poor countries are impoverished by rich country policies." -- Ann Pettifor, author of The Production of Money "The Divide is an exceptional, necessary and essential book about the processes that produce and perpetuate impoverishment. Jason Hickel provides here not only a devastating critique of `development' and the aid industry, but also one of the best explanations of how it all works. Written in a captivating and easy to read style, this book must become the standard text for everyone studying, working or interested in development." -- Firoze Manji, author of African Awakening: The Emerging Revolutions "This is a timely book that cuts to the heart of the problem of global inequality. Jason Hickel lays down a challenge to policy makers everywhere which must not be ignored. Poor countries are poor because the system isn't working. It's an issue of power and a political problem requiring political solutions - and these solutions must be bold and radical." -- Jonathan Bartley, Co-Leader of the Green Party "The Divide provides an evolutionary leap in our understanding of inequality and poverty. It should be required reading for anyone hoping to realise a better world." -- Alnoor Ladha, Greenpeace "For years now, we have all been sold a false story about international development. In this broad, compelling book, Dr Hickel deconstructs every false assumption, misleading statistic and overblown claim to expose a sector in crisis. If international development charities and institutions want to turn the ship around, they need to read this book." -- Martin Kirk

Edition details

• Publisher: Heinemann
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1785151126
• ISBN 13: 9781785151125
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368