The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: François Bourguignon on Fifty Years of Economic Development and the Elusive Quest for Sustained Growth

Abstract

François Bourguignon was Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics, at the World Bank before taking up his current position as Director of the Paris School of Economics. He is one of the world’s leading economists in the field of economic growth and development, in particular the relationship between growth, poverty and income distribution. To set the interview in context, Brian Snowdon first provides a brief discussion of several contemporary issues in economic development, including the recently published Commission on Growth and Development Report. In the interview that follows, discussion ranges over several subjects and key issues including Latin America; the fall and rise of development economics; changing conventional wisdom on the role of government; World Bank development research; measuring development; poverty, inequality and development; the Millennium Development Goals; convergence and divergence clubs; growth and inequality; democracy and development; geography v. institutions; globalisation; migration and development; foreign aid and development; improving the business and investment climate; the ‘Stern Report’ and climate change; culture, religion and development; and the IMF, World Bank and WTO.