The Prosperity Paradox, Clayton M. Christensen
The Prosperity Paradox, Clayton M. Christensen
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The Prosperity Paradox
How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty

Author: Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, Karen Dillon

Narrator: Mike Chamberlain

Unabridged: 9 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 01/15/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Clayton M. Christensen, the author of such business classics as The Innovator’s Dilemma and the New York Times bestseller How Will You Measure Your Life, and co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon reveal why so many investments in economic development fail to generate sustainable prosperity, and offers a groundbreaking solution for true and lasting change.Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades, we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the economic trajectory of poor countries. From education to healthcare, infrastructure to eradicating corruption, too many solutions rely on trial and error. Essentially, the plan is often to identify areas that need help, flood them with resources, and hope to see change over time.But hope is not an effective strategy.Clayton M. Christensen and his co-authors reveal a paradox at the heart of our approach to solving poverty. While noble, our current solutions are not producing consistent results, and in some cases, have exacerbated the problem. At least twenty countries that have received billions of dollars’ worth of aid are poorer now.Applying the rigorous and theory-driven analysis he is known for, Christensen suggests a better way. The right kind of innovation not only builds companies—but also builds countries. The Prosperity Paradox identifies the limits of common economic development models, which tend to be top-down efforts, and offers a new framework for economic growth based on entrepreneurship and market-creating innovation. Christensen, Ojomo, and Dillon use successful examples from America’s own economic development, including Ford, Eastman Kodak, and Singer Sewing Machines, and shows how similar models have worked in other regions such as Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Rwanda, India, Argentina, and Mexico.The ideas in this book will help companies desperate for real, long-term growth see actual, sustainable progress where they’ve failed before. But The Prosperity Paradox is more than a business book; it is a call to action for anyone who wants a fresh take for making the world a better and more prosperous place.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Clayton M. Christensen

CLAYTON M. CHRISTENSEN (1952–2020) was the Kim B. Clark Professor at Harvard Business School, the author of nine books, a five-time recipient of the McKinsey Award for Harvard Business Review’s best article, and the cofounder of four companies, including the innovation consulting firm Innosight. In 2011 and 2013 he was named the world’s most influential business thinker in a biennial ranking conducted by Thinkers50.

About Efosa Ojomo

Efosa Ojomo works side-by-side with Christensen and the Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, where he leads the organization’s Global Prosperity Practice. His work has been published in the Harvard Business Review, the Guardian, Quartz, CNBCAfrica, and the Emerging Markets Business Review.

About Karen Dillon

KAREN DILLON is the former editor of the Harvard Business Review and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller How Will You Measure Your Life? She is a graduate of Cornell University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. In 2011 she was named by Ashoka as one of the world’s most influential and inspiring women.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cătălin on April 06, 2019

E o carte grea in ciuda tonului foarte relaxat si a numeroaselor exemple. Curge ca un bestseller dar iti pune multe intrebari. Tocmai d-aia am stat o saptamana inainte sa scriu despre ea, ca sa am timp sa ma gandesc. Adica e o carte prea seducatoare, si e nevoie sa zabovesti un pic asupra ideilor, nu......more

Goodreads review by Miebara on January 19, 2020

For centuries, economists have debated what brings about economic development, what are the best mechanisms for tackling poverty. There are two leading schools: The Keynesian camp that supports state intervention and; the free marketers that argues for a private sector-led entrepreneurial state. Of......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on February 09, 2019

Christensen tackles the national development this time. Well known to the business world as the Innovation Professor, he asked why foreign aid never worked in alleviating poverty in developing nations. He used the example of well building in poor regions in Africa: it works for a while and when it d......more

Goodreads review by Terry on July 30, 2019

[URL not allowed]# I am not sure I agree with all of Christensen's premises that creating markets will lift 3rd world counties out of poverty. He provides plenty of examples, and research, mainly from his colleagues at Harvard. What I did enjoy and saved was his chapter on corru......more

Goodreads review by Cristina on July 07, 2020

Outstanding! I am so grateful to have been able to read this book, and so sad that professor Clayton M. Christensen is no longer with us. Such a loss! Every page of the book shows his passion for innovation and love of people. Food for thought, ideas that could emerge simply by looking into the righ......more