The Economist's Tale : A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank

'This is a delightful read, a real page turner as the pressure builds and an antidote to the popular belief that for a book on economics to be taken seriously it must be difficult. Every school should have a copy. Persuade your school or college librarian now.' The Journal of the Economics & Business Education Association 'Written in diary form, The Economists‘s Tale is a lightly fictionized account (to avoid libel) of Mr Griffiths‘ struggle to make the government defy the World Bank. Sparkling in his role as a conscience-stricken double agent, he fights intrigue and physical danger to triumph in the end.' The Economist 'Griffiths paints a picture in which World Bank staff are promoted only for implementing rigid orthodoxies while whistleblowers questioning government corruption are expelled.' The Observer 'Passionately written and backed up by knowledge and experience.' New Agriculturist 'Unputdownable - as thrilling as any thriller... I‘ve never read an account of the life of an economic consultant which came anywhere near it in the vividness of the observation or the pace of the action.' Clive Dewey Emeritus Reader in Economic History, University of Leicester 'The Economist‘s Tale brings economics alive.' David Needham, author of Business Studies 'It is rare to find such a detailed, vivid, helpful account of what it is like to do development work.' Review of Radical Political Economy Front Cover 1 About this Book 2 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Foreword: Is the Story True? 8 The Task Ahead 12 Meeting the Minister 17 The Expats 22 Meeting the Officials 29 The Casablanca 35 Exchange Rates 39 The United Nations 43 Doing Business in Freetown 50 Finding the Facts 55 The Casablanca 60 The Weekend 66 In the Markets 76 Vanishing Rice 83 Military Coups 85 Planning My Expedition 89 Alarm at the World Bank 92 Into the Interior 94 Visiting the Projects 103 The Resthouse 109 More Projects 111 The University 118 Trekking On 124 Finding the Facts 135 The Southern Province 141 Colonialism 151 Home Again 152 Financing the System 154 What Happened to the Money 156 Freetown 159 Getting Information 162 How Civil Servants Survive 165 Trickle Down 168 How Much Food is There? 173 The World Bank Reform 178 Cash Flow Problems 187 The Agricultural Marketing Board 189 Of Coups and Rumours of Coups 190 How Much Rice is Imported? 192 Who Will Import? 195 How Do I Get Action? 203 The Casablanca 212 Cabinet Paper 218 Getting it to the Decision-makers 224 Handing it Over 226 On Trek Again . 227 Mother Theresa 236 Waiting for Action 237 The Marketing Board 244 A Sundowner 245 Revisiting the Importers 246 A Second Cabinet Paper 251 Dishonest Expatriates 254 Alerting the World Food Programme 255 Breaking the Rules 256 The Showdown 259 And Then What? 261 Glossary 263 Back Cover 264 This Is An Insider's View Of One Aid-made Crisis. Peter Griffiths Was At The Interface Between Government And The Bank. He Saw The Decisions Being Made, And Why. He Saw The Pressures Put On Civil Servants, Politicians, Aid Workers, Consultants And World Bank Officials To Do Nothing And Instead Let The Crisis Develop Into A Full-blown Famine. In This Day By Day Account Of A Mission He Undertook In Sierra Leone, He Uses His Diary To Tell The Story Of How The World Bank, Obsessed With The Free Market, Imposed A Secret Agreement, Banning All Government Food Imports And Subsidies. The Collapsing Economy Meant That The Private Sector Would Not Import. Famine Loomed. No Ministry Or State Marketing Organization Could Reverse The Agreement. It Had To Be A Top-level Government Decision Whether Sierra Leone Could Afford To Annoy World Bank Officials.--jacket. Peter Griffiths. Includes Bibliographical References. What really happens when the World Bank imposes its policies on a country? This is an insider's view of one aid-made crisis. Peter Griffiths was at the interface between government and the Bank. In this ruthlessly honest, day by day account of a mission he undertook in Sierra Leone, he uses his diary to tell the story of how the World Bank, obsessed with the free market, imposed a secret agreement on the government, banning all government food imports or subsidies. The collapsing economy meant that the private sector would not import. Famine loomed. No ministry, no state marketing organization, no aid organization could reverse the agreement. It had to be a top-level government decision, whether Sierra Leone could afford to annoy minor World Bank officials. This is a rare and important portrait of the aid world which insiders will recognize, but of which the general public seldom get a glimpse. What really happens when the World Bank imposes its policies on a country? This is an insider's view of one aid-made crisis. Peter Griffiths was at the interface between government and the Bank. In this day-by-day account of a mission he undertook in Sierra Leone in 1986, he tells the story of how the World Bank, obsessed with the free market, imposed a secret agreement on the government, banning all government food imports or subsidies. This is a rare and important portrait of the aid world which insiders will recognize, but of which the general public seldom gets a glimpse. Baseret på egne dagbogsoptegnelser beretter forfatteren om Verdensbankens mindre heldige indsats i Sierra Leone An insiders account of how the World Bank, obsessed with the free market, undermines democracy.