Download or read book What Makes Poor Countries Poor? written by M. J. Trebilcock and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Law and development is a difficult field. It is at once multi-disciplinary and comparative; historical and policy driven; theoretical and empirical; positive and normative. Here at long last is a book that provides a masterful overview and critical analysis that will make this field accessible to students and teachers alike.' Katharina Pistor, Columbia Law School, US This important book focuses on the idea that institutions matter for development, asking what lessons we have learned from past reform efforts, and what role lawyers can play in this field. What Makes Poor Countries Poor? provides a critical overview of different conceptions and theories of development, situating institutional theories within the larger academic debate on development. The book also discusses why, whether, and how institutions matter in different fields of development. In the domestic sphere, the authors answer these questions by analyzing institutional reforms in the public (rule of law, political regimes and bureaucracy) and the private sectors (contracts, property rights, and privatization). In the international sphere, they discuss the importance of institutions for trade, foreign direct investment, and foreign aid. This book will be essential reading for those interested in a concise introduction to the academic debates in this field, as well as for students, practitioners, and policymakers in law and development.