"I argue that progress in understanding economic development (as in other branches of economics) must come from the investigation of mechanisms; the associated empirical analysis can usefully employ a wide range of experimental and non-experimental methods. I discuss three different areas of...

The world is a better place than it used to be. People are wealthier and healthier, and live longer lives. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many have left gaping inequalities between people and between nations. In The Great Escape, Angus Deaton--one of the foremost experts on economic...

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction: What This Book Is About -- 1. The Wellbeing of the World -- PART I. LIFE AND DEATH -- 2. From Prehistory to 1945 -- 3. Escaping Death in the Tropics -- 4. Health in the Modern World -- PART II. MONEY -- 5. Material Wellbeing in the United...