Bad Samaritans

The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism

De: Ha-Joon Chang

Narrado por: Jim Bond

With irreverent wit, an engagingly personal style, and a battery of real-life examples, Ha-Joon Chang blasts holes in the "World Is Flat" orthodoxy of Thomas Friedman and other neo-liberal economists who argue that only unfettered capitalism and wide-open international trade can lift struggling nations out of poverty.

On the contrary, Chang shows, today's economic superpowers - from the United States to Britain to his native South Korea - all attained prosperity by shameless protectionism and government intervention in industry. We in the wealthy nations have conveniently forgotten this fact, telling ourselves a fairy tale about the magic of free trade and - via our proxies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization - ramming policies that suit ourselves down the throat of the developing world.

Unlike typical economists who construct models of how economies are supposed to behave, Chang examines the past: what has actually happened. His pungently contrarian history demolishes one pillar after another of free-market mythology. We treat patents and copyrights as sacrosanct - but developed our own industries by studiously copying others' technologies. We insist that centrally planned economies stifle growth - but many developing countries had higher GDP growth before they were pressured into deregulating their economies. Both justice and common sense, Chang argues, demand that we reevaluate the policies we force on weaker nations.

Bad Samaritans calls on America to return to its abandoned role, embodied in programs like the Marshall Plan, to offer a helping hand, instead of a closed fist, to countries struggling to follow in our footsteps.

©2007 Ha-Joon Chang (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Top Reads/Listen on Economics

One of the best and most thorough book/audiobook on Economics and Geopolitics. A must listen.

Good points, but driven into the ground

This text is first and foremost an argument based on history. That is not to say it isn't valid, however. Chang does an excellent job reminding us how the "rich countries" got that way and he cites example after example of countries that have developed remarkably well doing exactly the opposite of what neo-liberalism prescribes.

Most importantly Chang rightfully exposes the track record of neo-liberal policies and points out what very few in the mainstream press are willing to point out. That the disasters caused by these economic policies far outnumbers the few moderate success stories. Free Market thinkers talk a big game, but essentially have nothing to show for their policies.

If you are looking for an in-depth look at the world economy today this probably isn't the book for you, but if you want a break from the neo-liberal revisionist histories and gain some insight on how economic policies have shifted then this book is definitely worth it.

I especially like the last chapter where Chang discusses the perception of different cultures and how that affects and distorts our opinions of poor countries.

His personal experiences of growing up in an impoverished Korea and witnessing it's rapid ascent into economic success is very powerful, and rare to hear coming from an economic intellectual.

The biggest weakness of the book is repetitiveness. Chang is keen on making his point with many examples and case studies, which is understandable, but at times it can seem like he is repeating the same things over and over. I wouldn't listen to this book in one sitting or in large chunks. Keep the listening to around 1-2 hours at a time and the repetitiveness doesn't seem so bad.

Pretty good book

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator was great. performance is perfect. I learned a lot about world economics.

great book to balance the free market theories

i love to read books in pairs, each arguing for a side.
however with economics vat majority of books are pro free markets. this is a great book from a Cambridge professor that pays a lot of attention to practicality above theory.

Interesting details throughout.

Would you consider the audio edition of Bad Samaritans to be better than the print version?

Never had the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No characters. This is non-fiction

Which character – as performed by Jim Bond – was your favorite?

???

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

All of it. Extremely interesting