The Bottom Billion
Paul Collier
Not the developing world versus the rich, but a billion people falling behind everyone.
Collier argued that the world's poorest billion, concentrated heavily in Africa, are held back by four traps: civil conflict, dependence on natural resources, being landlocked among poor neighbors, and bad governance in small states. Blending regressions with plain prose, he pushed the aid debate beyond volume toward targeting, security, trade, and governance tools rather than transfers alone.
Its legacy. Its 'traps' framing shaped donor and policy language on fragile states.
- Author
- Paul Collier
- First published
- 2007
- Genre
- Development economics
- Theme
- Political Economy and Development
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