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Contrary to conventional wisdom, countries that ignite a process of rapid economic growth almost always do so while lacking what experts say are the essential preconditions for development, such as good infrastructure and institutions. In Beating the Odds, two of the world´s leading development economists begin with this paradox to explain what is wrong with mainstream development thinking - and to offer a practical blueprint for moving poor countries out of the low-income trap regardless of their circumstances. Beating the Odds shows how poor countries can ignite growth without waiting for global action or the creation of ideal local conditions.

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"This powerful book brings encouraging news to developing countries. A nation does not have to be developed to achieve economic growth: Witness Israel´s cultivation of the Negev Desert and Mali´s vibrant mango industry. History gives striking examples of take off into sustained growth with little education and not much infrastructure either." - Edmund Phelps, Nobel Laureate in Economics

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Justin Yifu Lin, former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank, is director of the Center for New Structural Economics and dean of the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University. His books include The Quest for Prosperity: How Developing Countries Can Take Off (Princeton). Célestin Monga is vice president and chief economist of the African Development Bank and visiting professor of economics at University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Peking University. His books include Nihilism and Negritude: Ways of Living in Africa.

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