Lessons from the Poor

An important contribution to the literature of economic development, this book presents case studies of productive entrepreneurship in contemporary Africa and Latin America. It looks at the growth of Kenya's chain stores and one-person kiosks, the rise of barter clubs in Argentina, and Nigeria's clothing-design industry to illustrate economists' insights about entrepreneurship and the role that government regulations often play in impeding economic development.

Half the people in the world live on two dollars or less per day and roughly 600 million live on no more than one dollar per day. With thousands of international relief organizations, strategic government programs, and billions of dollars in foreign aid, why do so many underdeveloped countries remain unable to grow their economies beyond mere survival?

It is this issue that internationally acclaimed political analyst Alvaro Vargas Llosa and a select group of economists examine in a series of case studies from around the world. These studies reveal that entrepreneurial energy can be a persistent catalyst for change. But unfortunately in societies dominated by political corruption and unnecessary regulation, men and women seeking to innovate must hurdle a series of challenges. Wealth transfer, favoritism, excessive taxation, and lack of institutional security all conspire against progress. Our contributors examine real world examples of entrepreneurship and argue that instead of redistributing existing wealth, developing countries should start working to create it.