Betrayed - by S Kaplan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Betrayed takes a new approach to the subject of global poverty, one that doesn't blame the West but also doesn't rely on the West for solutions. Betrayed puts the poor themselves at center stage, and shows how their entrepreneurial energies are shackled by political and social discrimination. When these shackles are removed, as is happening in places such as China and Vietnam, the poor are able to seize opportunities and drive wealth creation. Combining the latest research into poverty and state building with the author's personal observations drawn from years running businesses in the developing world, Betrayed explains how leaders in the developing world can build more inclusive societies and more equitable governments, thereby creating dynamic national economies and giving the poor the opportunity to accumulate the means and skills to control their own destinies. This refreshing new approach will appeal to business people who are fed up with reading critiques of global poverty that see capitalism as the problem, not the solution; people in both the global North and South who want to see attention focused not on Western aid but on what developing countries and their citizens can do to help themselves; scholars and practitioners in the development field who are looking for new, practicable ideas; and general readers who want accessible and engaging accounts of ordinary people struggling to overcome poverty.

Review Quotes

"Kaplan makes a compelling and eloquent argument for empowering all citizens, especially the poor. He explains how hard-working individuals are shackled to their poverty, how discrimination stifles the entrepreneurial hopes of entire groups of people, and how political and economic exclusion conspire to keep elites rich at everyone else's expense. . . . It is, he says, up to the elites and leaders of the developing world to start building and operating this machinery." - Jerry Rawlings, Former President of the Republic of Ghana

"Betrayed is an interesting, readable presentation of a complex and often difficult subject. The author's approach to and analysis of world poverty and what can be done to change the dynamic underpinning it will be a worthy read for both development professionals as well as the general educated reader." - Andrew Natsios, Former Head, USAID

"A welcome relief from the avalanche of microstudies with narrow approach and applicability . . . It is refreshing to see a multidisciplinary approach and one that references works from a wide variety of academic, think tank, practitioner, and official sources." - Governance

About the Author

Seth Kaplan is a Professorial Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, USA.