The Great Escape
by Angus Deaton
First published 2013 · 376 pages · about 6 hours to read
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About this book
A Nobel Prize–winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the past two and half centuries
The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape, Nobel Prize–winning economist Angus Deaton―one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty―tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth look at the historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth of nations, and addresses what needs to be done to help those left behind.
Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He examines the United States, a nation that has prospered but is today experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been ineffective and even harmful.
Will you like it?
Readers interested in economic history, global health and development will find the book's long view useful. It covers famine, disease, the United States, India and China with a focus on data and on the causes behind unequal progress.
- health and wealth
- inequality between nations
- famine
- foreign aid
- economic growth
Written with AI.
Books like The Great Escape
Why Nations Fail
James A. Robinsonabout 9 hours to read
It argues that political and economic institutions explain why some countries became rich and others stayed poor, a question Deaton also raises.
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared Diamondabout 9 hours to read
It traces the long-run causes of unequal development across continents, covering the same broad span of history from a geographical angle.
Books like it →The Great Divergence
Kenneth Pomeranzabout 7 hours to read
It asks why Europe and China followed different paths of growth before the Industrial Revolution, the early divergence that Deaton's book builds on.
Dead Aid
Dambisa Moyoabout 3 hours to read
It makes a sustained case that foreign aid has harmed African economies, a position close to Deaton's skepticism about aid.
More
Poor Economics
Esther Dufloabout 5 hours to read
It examines what works against poverty through field experiments, offering a practical counterpart to Deaton's broader historical and theoretical view.
The Bottom Billion
Paul Collierabout 3 hours to read
It looks at why the poorest billion people have been left behind and what policies might help, a question at the centre of Deaton's book.
Books like it →Factfulness
Anna Rosling Rönnlundabout 6 hours to read
It uses global health and income data to argue that the world has improved more than most people realise, a theme that runs through Deaton's account.
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Thomas Pikettyabout 14 hours to read
It is a long historical study of wealth and inequality, which addresses the rising inequality that Deaton examines in the United States.
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smithabout 10 hours to read
It is the foundational text on how commerce, division of labour and institutions produce national wealth, the intellectual starting point for the questions Deaton asks.
Quick answers
- What age is The Great Escape for?
- Adults.
- Is The Great Escape a standalone?
- Yes, it stands on its own.
- Does The Great Escape have violence, sex or strong language?
- Nothing a reader needs warning about.
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
Reader's guide
Themeshealth and wealth, the great divergence, inequality between nations, famine and entitlement, limits of foreign aid, economic growth, institutions
health and wealth · the great divergence · inequality between nations · famine and entitlement · limits of foreign aid · economic growth · institutions
StyleExpository nonfiction written for a general educated reader. It is organised by theme and era rather than strict chronology, moves between historical narrative and statistical evidence, and uses charts and tables with limited technical language. The tone is measured and argumentative, and the book runs to about 376 pages.
Expository nonfiction written for a general educated reader. It is organised by theme and era rather than strict chronology, moves between historical narrative and statistical evidence, and uses charts and tables with limited technical language. The tone is measured and argumentative, and the book runs to about 376 pages.
How it was writtenDeaton is a British-born economist who taught at Princeton University and worked on consumption, poverty and development. The Great Escape was published by Princeton University Press in 2013, and Deaton was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2015 for his work on consumption, poverty and welfare.
Deaton is a British-born economist who taught at Princeton University and worked on consumption, poverty and development. The Great Escape was published by Princeton University Press in 2013, and Deaton was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2015 for his work on consumption, poverty and welfare.
How it was receivedThe book was widely reviewed and is read as an accessible summary of long-run development economics. Reviewers praised its breadth and its use of data, and some questioned its conclusions on aid and its treatment of inequality. It is still used as an introduction to debates on global health and growth.
The book was widely reviewed and is read as an accessible summary of long-run development economics. Reviewers praised its breadth and its use of data, and some questioned its conclusions on aid and its treatment of inequality. It is still used as an introduction to debates on global health and growth.
Questions to discussDeaton argues that health gains and income gains are linked. Do you think health improvements are a cause of economic growth, a result of it, or both?
These may talk about the whole book.
- Deaton argues that health gains and income gains are linked. Do you think health improvements are a cause of economic growth, a result of it, or both?
- How persuasive is his claim that foreign aid can be harmful? What evidence would change your view?
- Deaton says the world has become both healthier and more unequal. Can these two trends be separated, and which matters more to you?
- What does the history of famine suggest about the role of markets, governments and local institutions?
- The book looks at the United States alongside India and China. What do these cases have in common, and where do they differ?
- Should rich countries focus more on trade, migration and domestic policy than on aid? What would the strongest objections be?
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
More by Angus Deaton
- El gran escapeEl gran escape2015
- Models and Projections of Demand in Post-War BritainModels and Projections of Demand in Post-War Britain2013
- Understanding the Mechanisms of Economic DevelopmentUnderstanding the Mechanisms of Economic Development2010
- Income, Aging, Health, and Wellbeing Around the WorldIncome, Aging, Health, and Wellbeing Around the World2007
- Global Patterns of Income and HealthGlobal Patterns of Income and Health2006
- The Great Indian Poverty DebateThe Great Indian Poverty Debate2005
Parts of this page are written with AI from what's known about the book, and can get details wrong. How BookSense works