Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective

Great read. This book should be read by all leaders in the global south. In fact most of humanity would benefit.

As an MBA student at a top 20 US program, I came across Chang's "Kicking Away the Ladder" by accident a year ago when looking for a fresh, unorthodox perspective to supplement what I was learning in my international economics course. After all, one cannot let schooling get in the way of one's education! This book did not disappoint. It made earning top marks (a solid "A") easier and more interesting in what is normally a dry, esoteric subject.By "Kicking away the ladder," what Chang is arguing is that today's wealthy countries, like the US and UK, recommend and enforce a standard set of economic policies (like deregulation, free trade, patent/copyright protections) onto many poorer countries (in South America, sub-Sahara Africa) under the mistaken belief that these free market and free trade policies were how they (the US, UK, etc...) eventually matured into economic powerhouses. In other words, rich countries, through the IMF and World Bank, tell poorer countries "do as we preach, not as we actually did ourselves." Unfortunately, since the 1980s, these policies, often adopted as a precondition for trade agreements and aid during financial crises (i.e. 1997 East Asia) from wealthy nations, has brought about more social inequality and macroeconomic instability instead of the promised goal of sustained growth. Yet despite the failures, these policies are still preached and prescribed just the same, as an article of economic faith.This book offers a refreshing antidote to this textbook orthodoxy by highlighting and analyzing the historical evidence of many wealthy and poorer countries in light of effects of current economic policy prescriptions (at least as of 2003). Chang's argument is fairly easy to follow, carefully nuanced in that it addresses various subtle counter-arguments to his perspectives, and is well researched--nearly a fourth of his book is devoted to bibliography and detailed footnote references.My only criticism of this work is really a petty complaint: it could have been written for an even wider, more general audience. International development economics is Chang's specialty but sometimes as an expert, it's difficult to remember what it was like to not intimately know the material. His work is still more readable than a typical textbook or academic article on the subject. He offers a great unorthodox perspective to an important issue, but it needs to be made more accessible to an audience that may not have taken prior graduate economics courses. For example, throughout it's taken for granted that the reader will know what "trade liberalization" means. That being said, I still highly recommend this book and give it five stars in the hope that Chang will continue to offer his fresh insights and analysis with a wider audience in mind.

Good textbook

While I think Ha-Joon Chang could have devoted at least a little bit more time to an economic topic this weighty, he manages to offer an incredibly comprehensive and ultimately compelling argument for why developing countries should use protectionist trade policies to enhance economic growth. There were two particular elements of Chang's research that I really appreciated. The first was the level of rigor that he applied in trying to isolate trade policies as a causal factor in economic growth. Instead of simply looking at a country's tariff levels and then their GDP growth, he also explores different countries level of "institutional development" in areas such as democratic representation, child labor laws, limited liability laws, central banking autonomy, bankruptcy policy, etc. In pursuing this kind of methodology, he is able to more effectively argue that the issue behind developing countries' lackluster economic growth is not a lack of maturity in these democratic institutions (in fact, many of them are more maturely developed than that of most NDC (now-developed countries) were at their highest points of industrialization) but rather a lack of protectionism. Another thing that I appreciated was his willingness to point out that the UK and the US experienced their highest rates of industrialization when they had some of the highest tariff rates in history. Similarly, India and China have the highest rates of industrialization among developing countries while pursuing the most aggressively protectionist trade policy. While his research/methodology could be criticized for being incomplete, I still think that his book offers an unique, maybe even essential perspective in an area where it seems as though the dominating consensus is free-trade and unfettered globalization. A must-read for all the neo-classicals/neo-liberals.

This book demonstrates in detail how rich, industrialized nations did not develop in accordance with the prescriptions the World Bank and other international financial institutions currently foist upon poor nations. Instead many, including the U.S., employed protectionist policies that permitted their infant industries to become strong enough to compete internationally. It does raise questions regarding how any nation in the contemporary world could possibly modernize following these policies. Should note, that I have written long articles critical of development discourse and thus may be sympathetic - although it should also be noted that the book is largely factual - the author just documents what actually took place, even if it is a history that is rarely recounted in this context.

Quite an important take on how fradualent economic principles are dictating 3rd world countries. A must read for everyone in economics

The answer to the west's "conventional wisdom" about free trade, institutions and the genesis of their developmentA path they impose by hiding the truth, the path they took to developed country statusRead not only the book but the vast citation of research papers and books

Good examples of how developed countries committed the same mistakes that present developing countries are experiencing. However, more detailed examples would be great to understand the issue better.

After a certain age, your world-view becomes somewhat "settled" and stable. It takes something impressive to make you reassess basic political (in their broad sense) views.This book is such an impressive element. After all, Kindleberger found that "it demands attention".

Very helpful for teaching development issues.

In this relatively short and concise text Ha-Joon Chang charts the rise of global capitalism from its beginnings up until the present day and in this discussion proceeds to give his opinion about the current plight of the poorer countries and how they can be helped out of poverty not by aid, but by trade.Dr Chang's central argument is that the trade policies the IMF, World Bank and several wealthy countries are trying to impose on poorer countries (free markets and trade, ease of entry for foreign competitors into other markets) were never properly adopted by the richer countries when they themselves were developing. In fact, Chang tells us, wealthy countries became wealthy by using protectionist strategies and high tariffs in order to protect their infant industries grow before they opened them out to external trade and competition.Dr Chang underlines the hypocrisy of international economic bodies and richer countries in the field of economic development and offers a fresh perspective on how states can provide more wealth to their citizens and become more competitive in the domain of international trade.

One of the best books i have ever read. I have a good background in economics so i found it easy to read, but i think those who do not will find it difficult to understand many termonologies without getting help from uncle google.

Everyone who wants to see a fairer world and understand how easy it could be, should read this book and others written by this Author.