Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
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Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Ha-Joon Chang (Author), Jim Bond (Narrator), Brilliance Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 653 ratings
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With irreverent wit, an engagingly personal style, and a battery of real-life examples, Ha-Joon Chang blasts holes in the "World Is Flat" orthodoxy of Thomas Friedman and other neo-liberal economists who argue that only unfettered capitalism and wide-open international trade can lift struggling nations out of poverty.

On the contrary, Chang shows, today's economic superpowers - from the United States to Britain to his native South Korea - all attained prosperity by shameless protectionism and government intervention in industry. We in the wealthy nations have conveniently forgotten this fact, telling ourselves a fairy tale about the magic of free trade and - via our proxies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization - ramming policies that suit ourselves down the throat of the developing world.

Unlike typical economists who construct models of how economies are supposed to behave, Chang examines the past: what has actually happened. His pungently contrarian history demolishes one pillar after another of free-market mythology. We treat patents and copyrights as sacrosanct - but developed our own industries by studiously copying others' technologies. We insist that centrally planned economies stifle growth - but many developing countries had higher GDP growth before they were pressured into deregulating their economies. Both justice and common sense, Chang argues, demand that we reevaluate the policies we force on weaker nations.

Bad Samaritans calls on America to return to its abandoned role, embodied in programs like the Marshall Plan, to offer a helping hand, instead of a closed fist, to countries struggling to follow in our footsteps.

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  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 15 minutes
  2. Author
    Ha-Joon Chang
  3. Narrator
    Jim Bond
  4. Audible release date
    September 18, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  7. ASIN
    B001GDU4TC
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 15 minutes
Author Ha-Joon Chang
Narrator Jim Bond
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 18, 2008
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B001GDU4TC
Best Sellers Rank #99,393 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#79 in International Business (Audible Books & Originals)
#150 in Economic History (Audible Books & Originals)
#639 in International Business & Investing

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
653 global ratings
Great read for economists and the like minded
5 Stars
Great read for economists and the like minded
Wonderful book ... a must read for all students of development economics and globalization!!
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Top reviews from the United States

John Gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Free trade can kill development
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2010
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People in rich countries who preach free market and free trade to poor countries without realising they are hurting the developing countries with their policies are "Bad Samaritans", according to Ha-Joon Chang in this book. As someone who grew up in Korea during the time of that country's "economic miracle", he says the rapid economic growth was certainly not attributable to free trade.

The arguments made by the author include:

* Historically, the best-performing economies have adopted free trade selectively and gradually.
* A substantial period of protection is often required to nurture infant industries.
* Free trade reduces freedom of choice for poor countries.
* Government interference in commerce is sometimes good for development.
* Intellectual property rights favour rich countries at the expense of poor countries.

In my view, some of the author's arguments are compelling. It really is difficult to find a country which has started poor and become rich solely as a result of free markets and free trade. On the other hand, the conditions under which government interference with free trade succeeds in promoting development remain mysterious. Most government attempts at interference seem to have negative rather than positive influences on economic growth. The book suggests that all intellectual property rights are bad for development, but I think it is more accurate to say that countries which have become wealthy have tended to give strong protection of intellectual property rights to nationals while according weak protection to foreigners.

So what policies should a poor African country adopt today? Many such countries have very high tariffs on imports, and this is a major source of government revenue. However, these tariffs are restraining trade and helping to keep the countries poor. The author seems to suggest that such countries should choose some manufacturing industries to protect, in the hope of reaping rewards from them in the future, while reducing tariff barriers to encourage free trade in other areas.

The book is well written and a great pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in development.
7 people found this helpful
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Ben Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read rational attack on globalization
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013
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Ha-Joon Chang has the gift of making difficult subjects easy to laypeople to understand.

He makes a rational spirited attack on what he feels is the hypocrisy of the developed countries, the ridged ideology of the free market economists which drive agencies like the IMF.

Most chapters are filled with history lessons on how developed countries in the early days engaged in tariffs, capital controls, intellectual property theft and hard limits on foreign ownership. At least until their
industries had matured to level of competing in the global market. Then changed the tune, started lecturing all the developing countries through the IMF and other agencies not to do any of those things. Usually, the countries that followed the IMF advice had more negative results than positive. The author states the trade offs between political economy and the free market, in a detailed section on the rise of South Korea, his home.

Two chapters in the book were particularly eye opening, My six-year old should get a job and Lazy Japanese and Thieving Germans. The first chapter points out the problems with not protecting an industry while it gains technical expertise and capacity. Give the child time to go to school and get bigger. The second chapter is about how some developed countries were considered basket cases, their people are not capable of achieving developed status, a claim I have heard used against developing countries that have listened to the IMF, then fallen on hard times.

The book is good ammo for having a rational discussion about the trade offs and short comings of unfettered free market ideology.
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Shib
4.0 out of 5 stars Incisive and Penetrating
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
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Chapters 1 and 2 are abductive reasoning based in history at its finest! Chang, however, does let his animosity towards the free trade absolutists cloud his judgment here and there in the two chapters. The other chapters are not as compelling and thorough; they are light in detail and sometimes so general as to be uninteresting. Lastly, his grasp of Korean history before WW2 needs some work.
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Alexander Bagaev
5.0 out of 5 stars This should be orthodoxy, not the other thing
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2008
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Great book. Easy to read, even funny on some occasions, although it is about macroeconomics. But also very disturbing. Because what Chang says, and especially the examples he gives, are probably all things that, taken separately case by case, we all know pretty well. So why is it that we never do, as Chang has brilliantly done, put them all together in a logical sequence and then draw the obvious conclusions? Why is it that ideas and policies about economic development that profit first and formost the very rich of this world, why is it that they have become "orthodoxy", and economists such as Chang who stick to hard facts and unbiased (or true) history - are only critics, few and far between? When I finished reading this book, this was the big question in my mind, and it is a disturbing one.
I also think that it would be impossible to disagree with Chang and his ideas if one accepts his main argument (at least the one that I found to constitute the core of his whole thesis). This argument is: fair competition can only happen between equals. Infant industries simply cannot compete with heavyweights on a free for all field. No one can argue with that. Therefore, whoever wishes a truly fair and truly democratic free competitive market around the world should allow first the begginers to "grow up".
In ancient Athens, they invented the republican system because existing direct democracy was favoring the poor majority and putting the rich minority at a disadvantage. Athenians wanted - and succeeded - to prevent in this manner what we call today "mobocracy".
If I got it right, Chang is saying that some "republican system" should also be imposed on "direct globalization", because this time round we have a "democracy" (neo-liberal global economics) that puts the poors at a disadvantage, and we thus risk an "elitocracy".
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Rafa
5.0 out of 5 stars Este libro es una joya. Lo conocí como audiolibro y me gustó ta to que me lo compré en físico
Reviewed in Mexico on February 1, 2024
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Este libro es una joya. Lo conocí en formato de audiolibro y me gustó tanto que lo compré también en físico
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User
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book arguing against neo-liberal economics
Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2021
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This is an excellent book arguing against neo-liberal economics imposed upon developing nations. It is very easy to read and presents great arguments. Only thing, Bad Samaritans and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism are very similar, down to the case studies. They are just written with different techniques. Reading one of them would be enough. I personally prefer 23 Things. If you are really into the subject, you can read both. I read both and it was worth my time.
One person found this helpful
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Tashi Pareek
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in India on October 28, 2019
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Insightful, well arguemented and provocative
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antoine bertetto
5.0 out of 5 stars Essaie economique à recommander
Reviewed in France on September 13, 2018
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L'auteur est un économiste sur coréen ayant un point de vu sans oeillière sur l'économie, cette matière étant trop souvent basé sur des postulats politiques plutôt que sur l'expérience vécue. L'idée de ce livre est justement d'ouvrir les yeux sur les remèdes de certains "mauvais samaritains", pétries de bonnes intentions, mais candides quant au socle de leur raisonnement. L'avantage de ce livre est qu'il regarde quelles sont les puissances industrielles actuelles et par quels chemins elles y sont parvenues. Ce livre peut susciter des objections, cependant les points soulevés sont très pertinents et méritent d'être écoutés.
De plus, c'est un livre assez court et de lecture très commode.
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Robert S. Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible and delightful critique of the Neo-liberal agenda
Reviewed in Canada on May 14, 2015
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This is an easily accessible rout of the component ideologies of neo-liberalism. It is done with verve and humor at times. I purchased bot the book and the audio. As a person of the evil left I would place myself as perhaps more of a critic of capitalism than Professor Chang. So anyone who considers him/herself as sympathetic to capitalism would find his position quite acceptable. He is no leftie. But, he is a strong critic of the current situation and documents the injustices that are the results of the current forms of laissie fair that are considered common sense at this historical moment. He also provides numerous counter examples to the economic policies implemented throughout the world that dispel the 'common sense' myths backing flavours of the neo-liberal agenda. The writing is accessible--as an economist he delivers some sharp criticism of the profession as currently practices--and even delightful to read. I have two other books by Professor Chang, so I guess that would place me as somewhat of a fan of his work.
One person found this helpful
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