CONTENTS:

Preface

1. So close and yet so different
2. theories that don't work
3. The making of prosperity and poverty
4. Small differences and critical junctures: The weight of history
5. "I´ve seen the future, and it works": Growth under extractive institutions
6. Drifting apart
7. The turning point
8. Not on our turf: Barriers to development
9. Reversing development
10. The diffusion of prosperity
11. The virtuous circle
12. The vicious circle
13. Why nations fail today
14. Breaking he mold
15. Understanding prosperity and poverty

Acknowledgments