Labour Research September 2004

Reviews

Reclaiming development

An alternative economic policy manual

Ha-Joon Chang and Ilene Grabel, Zed Books, 240 pages, £9.99

This book clearly and concisely attempts to destroy the myths behind neo-liberal economics, Americanisation, globalisation and the current free market.

The authors systematically combine factual evidence, economic logic and an analysis of world economies both past and present in order to question the validity of the neo-liberal development model.

Once the myths have been demolished, they propose practical policy alternatives in key areas, such as trade and industrial policy, privatisation, monetary policy, government revenue and expenditure.

This book is presented in an accessible format, giving everyone from theorists, economists and policy makers, to those with a general interest in global issues, a chance to get to grips with alternatives to the prescribed agenda.