A Nobel Prize–winning economist tells the remarkable story
of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal
over the past two and half centuries

The world is a better
place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live
longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping
inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape,
Nobel Prize–winning economist Angus Deaton―one of the foremost experts
on economic development and on poverty―tells the remarkable story of
how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced
sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's
disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth look at the
historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth of nations,
and addresses what needs to be done to help those left
behind.

Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks:
the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean
water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic
on the other. He examines the United States, a nation that has prospered
but is today experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He
also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the
lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international
aid has been ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative
efforts―including reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting
trade restrictions―that will allow the developing world to bring about
its own Great Escape.

Demonstrating how changes in health and
living standards have transformed our lives, The Great Escape is a
powerful guide to addressing the well-being of all nations.