A good review makes my day

Those of you who think I use this blog to blog my own horn way too much, read no further. (If not in my own blog, where else? But still...)  But I was particularly pleased to read John Kay's review of my One Economics, Many Recipes in Prospect magazine (is this the same John Kay as the FT columnist John Kay?).

You need a subscription to read the whole thing, but here are some excerpts:

[Rodrik's] thesis leaves little role for the breastbeating of moralists who want to hold colonialism, multinationals or unfair trading arrangements responsible for third world poverty. Countries find and create their own destinies. Nor does he have time for the visiting expert with a chequebook and a sense of mission. Rodrik's heroes are not the framers of the millennium development goals, but the people who establish cut-flower nurseries in Colombia, football production lines in Pakistan and bicycle factories in Taiwan. Development, he argues, is a process of self-discovery.

....

At various points, Rodrik is anxious to say, "I am a mainstream economist." His credo is that "social phenomena can best be understood by considering them to be an aggregation of purposeful behaviour by individuals interacting with each other and acting under the constraints that their environment imposes." There is certainly truth in the claim that this belief is at the core of neo-classical economics. But neoclassical economics, as typically practised, imposes a particular concept of rationality on that description-in terms of the consistent pursuit of individualist goals-and makes a variety of other assumptions about the nature of markets and of property rights. These assumptions preclude a proper examination of the institutional constraints and uncertain environment which are such an important part of Rodrik's schema.

But then so much the worse for the mainstream.... One Economics, Many Recipes is also a model of how applied economics should be done. The book uses models without falling into the trap of believing that any particular model offers a true representation of the world, or that policy conclusions can be derived algebraically. Rodrik uses data, but sceptically: it seems obvious that a data set which rates Canada worst and Rwanda near-best for absence of ethnic fragmentation has something wrong with it, and it is reassuring (though much less common than you might hope) to have an author who notices.

As a result, this book can identify no panaceas and, indeed, offers only a few modest pointers to development. But how to make poor countries rich is the toughest problem in economics, and only a less thoughtful author than Rodrik would offer more confident solutions.

I find it somewhat curious that the book has ben reviewed in a number of British publications by now (besides the one above, check the reviews in the New Statesman or in Times Higher Education).  By contrast, no reviews have appeared in similar American publications as far as I can tell. My editors at Princeton University Press should take note...

Comments

[robertdfeinman]

I just managed to get hold of a copy and am marching through chapter two at the moment.

All I can say is that it's not light reading!

If you have dates for the original essays, it is not obvious as I read. Since they weren't updated a date helps put things in context, even when the topics being discussed are of a historical nature.

[Buce]

Well, there's this:

http://underbelly-buce.blogspot.com/2008/03/its-worse-than-you-think.html

(and the much better known Crooked Timber symposium from a few months back)

[Dani Rodrik]

Thank you Bruce, I was thinking of print media. And robertdfeinman, you are right it's not light reading. But it is an academic book after all, and at least I think it is more readable than most of its genre.

[dale]

I haven't read your book Dani, but I am discomforted when I read the reviewer's claims that colonialism, multinational corporations, and our current trade regimes are not among your culprits.

And when I read that "countries find and create their own destinies" my skepticism level increased again.

These claims seem somewhat at odds with what I've read here on your blog over the past few months.

Now, obviously, to the extent that countries can escape the legacy of suborination left by colonialism, MNCs, and our current trade regimes, and find and create their own destinies- so much the better. But to disavow or downplay the heirarchical power relations of the past and present seems unhelpful to getting to the place of self determination.

But again, those are the reviewer's words- not yours.

[Buce]

Buce, not Bruce. But I'm a fine one to complain; I gave a bad cite to my own work. Should be:

http://underbelly-buce.blogspot.com/2008/03/notes-on-dani-rodrik.html

[Rodrik's book is surely not "worse than you think." BTW I hope to do a comparison with Baumol et al, Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, shortly--Buce.]

[Dominic]

Dani,

Speaking of blogging your own horn, and your observation that Americans aren't necessarily your most receptive audience...

would you consider a promotional speaking tour in Australia?

[gaddeswarup]

It seems to be the same John Kay who wrote "The truth about markets:why some nations are rich but most remain poor":
http://www.johnkay.com/

[David]

Also, the in the current FT there is a review:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d0665784-f7b2-11dc-ac40-000077b07658.html

[gaddeswarup]

EPW has a chapter by chapter review:
http://www.epw.org.in/epw/user/viewAbstract.jsp
Click on 'View Full Article'.

[John V]

I too am not happy to have seen more reviews of it. The review you cite is excellent and matches my views of it.

I like how the reviewer notes your lack of clear solutions. I wasn't sure what to make of that fact and thought maybe I missed something when reading it.

I really enjoyed it. It now sits on my bookshelf next to Bryan Capan's recent book.

Funny, they look similar from far away. The size and cover style are identical.

Overall, I'm glad to have read it. One of the best books I've read this year...

[Ken Houghton]

And it's still not at the NYPL, and out of stock (if it was ever there) at Strand Books.

Did Princeton just pass on the easy (i.e., library) sales and getting out any review copies?

[Eric]

Dear Dani,
I wrote a review of this book in french !
http://www.nonfiction.fr/article-175-pas_de_recette_unique_pour_le_developpement.htm
Great book !thank you

E.M

[Dani Rodrik]

Eric --
Thank you. My mother will be especially pleased, as her French is a lot better than her English. And since she will no doubt read this and the review, I am glad you think well of both me and my book. Phew!

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