William Easterly The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor New York
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702016641640 |
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| Author | Giselle Thompson |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
There is much to admire in this book. Like all of Donaghy’s work it is very well
researched and engagingly written. Not surprisingly given the author’s back-
ground—he is the head of the Historical Section in Canada’s Department of
Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (now Global Affairs Canada)—it is
particularly strong in evaluating Martin Sr.’s role on the world stage and his
interests in foreign affairs, although Donaghy also does justice to his subject’s
role in Canadian domestic politics and to his family life. There is nothing in this
biography that will radically alter existing perceptions of Paul Martin Sr., yet the
overall effect is to increase our understanding of the political dynamics at work
within various Liberal governments from the 1930s to the 1970s and of Martin
Sr.’s part therein. Perhaps the book’s greatest contribution, however, lies in its
exploration of a life given over to the belief that politics is a worthwhile endeavour,
that government can and should play a positive part in improving the lives of the
people who depend on it, and that Canada can and should play a positive role in a
world order built on the bedrock of international law and international institu-
tions. Martin Sr. developed these values very early on and fought for them repeat-
edly throughout his life. We live now in a world with a different set of dominant
ideals. This book reminds us that another outlook is possible and it is a very
welcome reminder indeed.
William Easterly
The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor
New York: Basic Books, 2013; 394 pp., US $29.99 (cloth)
ISBN: 978–0–456–03125–2
Reviewed by: Giselle Thompson, York University
By placing together the nouns “tyranny” and “experts” and using them as a
descriptor for presumably “well intentioned autocrats advised by technical
experts” (6), William Easterly’s title is provocative. The individuals he so describes
view global poverty as a technical problem that is amenable to equally technical
solutions. According to Easterly, this is a “technocratic illusion.” And yet, by
means of authoritarian development or “rule by experts,” the state has become
the de facto implementer of technocratic solutions to underdevelopment around
the world. Easterly points out several problems with technocracy/rule by experts. I
elaborate on two: the naı
¨vet
e about benevolent autocracy, and the violation of the
rights of the poor.
On the matter of autocracy and benevolence, Easterly argues that unchecked
power has been the real cause of global poverty and underdevelopment. This,
however, has gone unrecognized because of the perceived ideological soundness,
accuracy, and efficiency of expert plans. The technologies of power within the
development-industrial complex apotheosize national growth, which, Easterly
argues, almost always leads to the suppression of individuals’ rights. As no unstra-
tified society exists, the poor are the most likely casualties of technocracy and state
power. Easterly gives the example of the violent usurpation of farmers’ land by the
Book Reviews 285
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