Wars, GUns and Votes: democracy in dangerous places

LSE Space for Thought lecture series

Award-winning author Paul Collier investigates the violence and poverty in the countries at the bottom of the world economy that are home to a billion people and asks why the democratic process in these countries so often fails.

Highly-regarded economist and expert on developing countries, Collier argues that the spread of elections and peace settlements in the world's most volatile countries may lead eventually to a brave new democratic world. In the meantime, though, nasty and protracted civil wars, military coups, and failing economies will plague the bottom billion - unless national sovereignty is curtailed and economic disciplines introduced.

There have been many policy failures by the United States, the UK and other developed countries since the end of the Cold War, especially the reliance on pre-emptive military intervention, but Collier insists that these problems can and will be rectified. He will be outlining just what must be done to bring long-term peace and stability.

Paul Collier is a professor of economics at Oxford University and co-director of the International Growth Centre at LSE. The author of The Bottom Billion, which won the 2008 Lionel Gelber Prize for the world's best book on international affairs, he has lectured widely on the subjects of economics and international relations.

Register to tell a friend about this lecture.

Comments

If you would like to comment about this lecture, please register here.

©2003-2006 Niminim Limited. Created by

Any ad revenue is entirely reinvested into the Lecture List's operating fund