The Tyranny of Experts
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | William Easterly |
| Products | Non-fiction book on economics and development |
The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor is a 2014 publication by development economist William Easterly. It examines the historical efforts to alleviate global poverty and critiques the underlying structural incentives within the development sector. Easterly contends that initiatives aimed at reducing poverty have frequently undermined the rights of impoverished populations while simultaneously enhancing the power of governments and corporations. He champions the prioritization of individual liberties over technocratic methodologies.
Themes
The work highlights the absence of straightforward remedies for economic development and underscores the importance of fostering economic, political, and personal freedoms worldwide. Building upon Easterly’s prior writings, including The Elusive Quest for Growth and The White Man's Burden, it emphasizes that sustainable development must be founded on sound principles and constructed from grassroots levels. Instead of providing direct solutions, it encourages ongoing discourse regarding effective development approaches, which has drawn criticism for its limited practical guidance.
Self-promotion
After the book’s publication, Easterly distilled its main points in an article for Foreign Policy. He also penned an opinion piece in the Seattle Times challenging Bill Gates’ strategies for poverty reduction, stressing that securing the rights of poor individuals should come before technical interventions.
Book reviews
Dalibor Rohac commended the book in The Umlaut, stating, "No silver-bullet answers exist for poverty and underdevelopment. Policymakers must honor individual rights—including those belonging to the poor." Clive Crook also provided a positive review for Bloomberg View.
The New York Times labeled it "bracingly iconoclastic."
Publishers Weekly offered a more critical viewpoint, concluding, "This scattered and occasionally disjointed collection of lofty reflections fails to present a compelling thesis or argument. Easterly attempts to devise global solutions but does not offer actionable steps suited to complex realities beyond his immediate environment."
Carol Graham, writing in the Journal of Economic Literature, argued that Easterly "overlooks that many poor individuals are unable to exercise freedoms due to diminished expectations or infringed rights."
In the Wall Street Journal, Sarah Chayes criticized the work: "Easterly calls for a fundamental transformation in how dominant countries design and execute aid—and broader foreign policy decisions. While such change is necessary, this book lacks clarity and coherence sufficient to promote it."
Kirkus Reviews took a more balanced view: "A sharply crafted polemic intended to provoke discussion about the objectives of global anti-poverty initiatives."
The book also attracted significant attention across various blogs.
Other mentions
Economist Tyler Cowen, on his Marginal Revolution blog, described this as "Easterly’s most libertarian work" and labeled it "self-recommending."