What if the world's leading development institutions have been perpetuating the very problems they were created to solve?
For more than seventy-five years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have shaped the economic futures of developing nations. Their stated mission is to reduce poverty, promote stability, and foster prosperity. But what if the results tell a different story?
In Hidden Repression, human rights advocate Alex Gladstein examines the history, incentives, and unintended consequences of the global financial system, arguing that decades of international lending, debt dependency, and structural adjustment policies have often strengthened powerful institutions while limiting opportunity for the world's poorest populations.
Drawing on economics, history, monetary policy, and real-world case studies, Gladstein explores how financial systems influence freedom, sovereignty, and human flourishing—and why the structure of money itself may be at the heart of the problem.
Inside, you'll discover:
• The origins and evolution of the IMF and World Bank
• How sovereign debt can create long-term economic dependence
• The consequences of structural adjustment policies around the world
• Why inflation, debt, and monetary policy disproportionately affect developing nations
• The relationship between money, political power, and human rights
• How decentralized monetary networks such as Bitcoin may offer new paths toward financial sovereignty
As Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation, Gladstein brings years of experience working alongside activists, economists, and citizens living under financial repression across the globe. His analysis connects macroeconomics with human stories, revealing how international financial policies shape the daily lives of billions of people.
Rather than offering simple answers, Hidden Repression challenges readers to reconsider the institutions, incentives, and assumptions that underpin the modern global economy.
Praised by leading economists, entrepreneurs, and human rights advocates—including Jeff Booth, Farida Nabourema, and Saifedean Ammous—this timely work provides a thoughtful examination of one of the most important economic questions of our era.
Whether you're interested in economics, international development, public policy, monetary history, or human rights, Hidden Repression offers a compelling perspective on the forces shaping global prosperity—and why a more equitable financial future may require rethinking the foundations of money itself.
A valuable addition to the library of anyone seeking to better understand the intersection of economics, freedom, and global development.
Alex Gladstein is the chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation. He has also served as vice president of strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum since its inception in 2009. In his work, Alex has connected hundreds of dissidents and civil society groups with business leaders, technologists, journalists, philanthropists, policymakers, and artists to promote free and open societies. Alex's writing and views on human rights and technology have appeared in media outlets across the world, including The Atlantic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, NPR, TIME, The Washington Post, WIRED, and The Wall Street Journal. He has spoken at universities ranging from MIT to Stanford, briefed the European Parliament and US State Department, and serves as faculty at Singularity University and as an advisor to Blockchain Capital, a leading venture firm in the fintech industry. He frequently speaks and writes about why Bitcoin matters for freedom. Alex is co-author of The Little Bitcoin Book (2019), author of Check Your Financial Privilege (2022), and a regular contributor to Bitcoin Magazine.
