The book examines the methodological challenges in analyzing the effectiveness of development policies. It presents a selection of tools and methodologies that can help tackle the complexities of which policies work best and why, and how they can be implemented effectively given the political...

"This book brings non-expert readers to the frontier of economic development. How governments actually function, the basics of economic policy, new tools for social assistance, the reality of Africa, and the challenges of inclusion, education, health, infrastructure, data, foreign aid, among...

Para-sites of capitalism -- Can the mosquito speak? -- Principles true in every country -- The character of calculability -- Peasant studies -- The invention and reinvention of the peasant -- Nobody listens to a poor man -- Heritage and violence -- Fixing the economy -- The object of development...

Introduction: the charity trap -- Business first: the roots of prosperity in the modern world -- Business last: the roots of failure in poverty aid -- Strong medicine: the Marshall plan as a business model -- Chase the devil: details for a Marshall model -- Conclusion: make it your business

The complexities and uncertainties of development -- The domestic context -- History and the legacy of colonialism -- Big men, personal rule, and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and democratization -- Core development questions -- Africa's growth puzzle...

Introduction -- The complexities and uncertainties of development -- The domestic context -- History and the legacy of colonialism -- Big men, personal rule and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and democratization -- Core development questions -- Africa's...