- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Allen Lane (13 Jan 2011)
- Language French
- ISBN-10: 1846142350
- ISBN-13: 978-1846142352
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
202,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #26 in Books > Business, Finance & Law > Economics > International Economics > Agreements & Tariffs
- #60 in Books > Business, Finance & Law > Economics > International Economics > Finance
- #71 in Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Economics
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Moyo's diagnosis of the recent disasters in financial markets is succinct and sophisticated...I applaud her brave alarum against our economic and social complacency: her core concerns are sufficiently close to painful truths to warrant our attention. (Paul Collier The Observer )
We [in the West] have alienated trading partners and are colluding in the decline of our own prosperity, says Moyo, who sets out strategies for weighting the political seesaw back to our advantage. (Iain Finlayson The Times )
This argument...can rarely have been made more concisely...Moyo is a very serious lady indeed. (Dominic Lawson The Times )
The sad saga of the recession gives legs to Dambisa Moyo's provocatively-entitled book, for it goes to the heart of the great economic issue of our times: how swiftly will power shift over this century? (Hamish McRae The Independent )
We [in the West] have alienated trading partners and are colluding in the decline of our own prosperity, says Moyo, who sets out strategies for weighting the political seesaw back to our advantage. (Iain Finlayson The Times )
This argument...can rarely have been made more concisely...Moyo is a very serious lady indeed. (Dominic Lawson The Times )
The sad saga of the recession gives legs to Dambisa Moyo's provocatively-entitled book, for it goes to the heart of the great economic issue of our times: how swiftly will power shift over this century? (Hamish McRae The Independent )
Product Description
How the West was Lost charts how over the last 50 years the most advanced and advantaged countries of the world have squandered their dominant position through a sustained catalogue of fundamentally flawed economic policies. It is these decisions that, along the way, have resulted in an economic and geo-political see-saw, which is now poised to tip in favour of the emerging world.
By forging closer ties with the emerging economies, rethinking trade barriers, overhauling their tax systems to encourage savings rather than ravenous consumption, and specifically addressing the three essential ingredients for growth (capital, labour and technology) it might yet still be possible for the West to firmly get back in the race.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A superb analysis of the sheer stupidity of US and UK misallocation of investment capital, (for example) in sectors such as ludicrously overpriced Housing, the borrow to consume House of Cards economy, in contrast to other countries that have wisely invested in factories and productive businesses that generate monthly incomes for people. Points out the uselessness of the misdirected (military) spending and stupid military adventure of the US and UK. A very good outline of the World economy as it is now and where it could be headed. The book also points out that the present economic and political structures in Western Europe and the US will not meet the challenges of ageing population, the Black Holes in pension funds and continuation of non-productive economies. Reading between the lines I would say the author questions the wisdom of certain countries even attempting to exist and compete in the same Trading Arena as China. Excellent Book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a thought provoking book about how the West sleep walked into another South Sea Bubble. Only in this one most people wanted to believe Gordon Brown's "Boom and Bust are over" rather than the reality that any property funded boom was bound to collapse sooner or later. With house prices on the slide and likely to accelerate down as the cuts hit home this Summer, a potential Oil crisis and a steady stream of natural disasters, is the West capable of reinventing itself?
Couple of quibbles. Whoever edited the book needs to be shot for allowing too many inaccuracies to creep in. Plus someone should have explained to Moyo that she needed to use a constant financial currency and exchange rate as a base as it's practically impossible to follow some facts and figures as they jump around currencies and times. I suspect a new edition will clean these up, but it's a sign publishers are skimping on editing.
Couple of quibbles. Whoever edited the book needs to be shot for allowing too many inaccuracies to creep in. Plus someone should have explained to Moyo that she needed to use a constant financial currency and exchange rate as a base as it's practically impossible to follow some facts and figures as they jump around currencies and times. I suspect a new edition will clean these up, but it's a sign publishers are skimping on editing.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In How the West Was Lost Dr. Dambisa Moyo combines her knowledge gained from impressive academic and professional achievements with an ability to explain complex issues in a way that everyone can understand.
Moyo has no dramatic revelations on affairs that aren't already in the public domain. It's no secret that the United States and the developed world are facing menacing competitive, demographic, educational and debt crises. She covers the spectrum of issues on which we owe it to ourselves to be well informed warts and all. Then she pulls no punches when the reader is asking how this all will end up and how will it affect me. She sees no silver bullets or easy solutions but, thinking outside the box, she looks at different scenarios including the one on which we are all in denial - America playing a game of brinkmanship with its creditors and even defaulting to reset financial relationships.
This is a book for everyone from policy makers to the rest of us who don't want to live in a fool's paradise. Other excellent books cover much the same subject matter and often in greater detail. This book is different because it's also an excellent read from cover to cover.
Moyo has no dramatic revelations on affairs that aren't already in the public domain. It's no secret that the United States and the developed world are facing menacing competitive, demographic, educational and debt crises. She covers the spectrum of issues on which we owe it to ourselves to be well informed warts and all. Then she pulls no punches when the reader is asking how this all will end up and how will it affect me. She sees no silver bullets or easy solutions but, thinking outside the box, she looks at different scenarios including the one on which we are all in denial - America playing a game of brinkmanship with its creditors and even defaulting to reset financial relationships.
This is a book for everyone from policy makers to the rest of us who don't want to live in a fool's paradise. Other excellent books cover much the same subject matter and often in greater detail. This book is different because it's also an excellent read from cover to cover.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
shallow and undisciplined
I have to admit, I was ill disposed towards this book from reading the blurb. What are the chances, I thought, of getting a decent analysis from someone who flaunts the fact that... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ioannis Glinavos
Surprising!
Bought as a Christmas present for a discening recipient, who as it turne out, knows and had worked with the author, but had not read the book. Present well received!
Published 4 months ago by Dr. F. Arnold
Good foundations, but overstretched conclusions
This was an entertaining read. It has a wealth of insightful analysis of things the West has done wrong and the consequences of having squandered such potential. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Thomas
Autarchic simplicity
The book is well written but betrays great ignorance about how trading economies work. Good on the US debt crisis, this is the first I have learnt that US citizens can walk away... Read more
Published 15 months ago by DR T MOTTRAM
A short book which straddles the Atlantic
A friend of mine from New York was raving about this book so I duly bought and read it. How The West Was Lost contains some home truths about both the US and UK. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Chalke
Intellectual and Entertaining read
How the West was Lost is a highly fascinating book that realistically portrays how the world's most advanced countries have thrown away their powerful positions through poor... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tdiers
An extremely interesting read
This is an extremely interesting book to read. Remembering, of course, that it is the author's opinion. I do not agree with approximately 25% of it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by P. Norton
Dreadful and full of errors
After reading "Dead Aid", I was really looking forward to this book. What a disappointment. It is badly written and full of ludicrous errors. Read more
Published 16 months ago by manager
A must read!!!
How the West Was Lost provides a broad overview of the international economy. Moyo has moved on from the failures of western aid in her last book to some of the most controversial... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Madeleine
Concise and Powerful.
How The West Was Lost is a lively and potent indictment of some of the political and economic failures and follies of the UK and US over the past 50 years. Read more
Published 16 months ago by C. Sanchez
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