MY FAVORITE BOOKS (READ JAN 2005- AUG 2006)

• ‘In defence of global Capitalism’ by Johan Norberg- This book gives an in-depth explanation on how globalisation in the 21st century is promoting freedom and creating opportunities for the poor. The author uses a lot of examples, which makes it a lively read. The use of graphs also makes and easy reference point

• Lords of Poverty’ by Graham Hancock- A touching expose about the lifestyles, power, prestige and corruption of the multibillion dollar poverty ‘industry’.

• The Mystery of Capital: why capitalism triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else- Hernando de Soto. This book has a simple idea to offer- capital is important for prosperity. But most poor people have assets that de Soto calls ‘dead capital’-assets that they cannot use as collateral to start up businesses. The author proposed how to enable the poor to turn this dead capital into useful productive assets that could help create more wealth.

• Behind the scenes at the WTO: the real world of international trade negotiations- Fatoumata Jawara & Aileen Kwa. Exposes the hooligan methods used by the West and powerful lobby groups in employing arm-twisting techniques when it comes to trade negotiations with poor countries. This book paints a very contradicting picture to that of the mission and role of the WTO- a democratic international organization in which all member countries are equal.