The White Man's Burden

William Easterly, acclaimed author and former economist at the World Bank, addresses the problems of extreme poverty and the West's failed attempts to help the poor. While recognising the energy and compassion behind the campaign to make poverty history he argues that grand plans and good intentions are a part of the problem not the solution.

William Easterly is Professor of Economics at New York University and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. He was a senior research economist at the World Bank for more than sixteen years. In addition to his academic work, he has written widely in recent years in The New York Times, The Independent, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Forbes, and Foreign Policy, among others. He is author of the acclaimed book The Elusive Quest for Growth and has worked in many areas of the developing world, most extensively in Africa, Latin America, and Russia.