How Rich Countries Became Rich and Why Poor Countries Remain Poor

In this book, renowned Norwegian economist Erik Reinert demonstrates that rich countries became rich through a combination of government intervention, protectionism, and strategic investments, rather than free trade. According to the author, such policies were the key to successful economic development, starting from Renaissance Italy and continuing to today's Southeast Asian countries. Showing that modern economists ignore this approach, insisting on the importance of free trade, Reinert explains this long-standing divide in economic science between the continental European tradition, which focuses on comprehensive government policy, and the Anglo-American tradition, which is centered on free trade. Written in accessible language, the book is of interest not only to specialists in economic history and theory but also to a broad audience.