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Business & Economics General

Toward a Better World

Memoirs of a Life in International and Development Economics

by (author) Gerald (Gerry) Helleiner

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jan 2018
Category
General, General, Developing Countries
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487502218
    Publish Date
    Jan 2018
    List Price
    $87.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487514907
    Publish Date
    Jan 2018
    List Price
    $87.00

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Description

Toward a Better World describes the life, times and perspectives of Gerry Helleiner, a Canadian activist and university-based economist, who worked for roughly 40 years with developing countries and international organizations. In his memoir, Toward a Better World, Helleiner, recounts the profound early experiences in Africa that propelled him into a rewarding career devoted to research, advice and teaching in international economics, economic development and global poverty reduction.

 

Describing himself as privileged, Toward a Better World recounts his early life as a young academic, having first landed in Africa in the 1960s for the purpose of research for Yale University. Detailing both successes and setbacks, frustrations and hopes, Helleiner, conveys his often difficult, yet transformative, experiences in Nigeria and Tanzania, missions in Uganda and South Africa, and witnesses the wavering efforts being made towards poverty alleviation in international organisations . Providing lively behind-the-scene accounts of multilateral economic meetings in the 1970s through the 1990s, Helleiner addresses his engagement with economic policymakers, his views often challenging common practice.

 

In Toward a Better World, Helleiner speaks to his early motivation as a young man in Africa, and his lifework as a practicing economist determined to make a positive effort in addressing global poverty.

About the author

Gerry Helleiner is a professor emeritus of Economics at the University of Toronto and Officer of the Order of Canada.

Gerald (Gerry) Helleiner's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"Well written and organized, Helleiner’s memoir offers rich detail of his work and experiences, as a Canadian economist working to strengthen African economic capacities and as witness, contributor, and sometimes protagonist to a great many initiatives, programs, and debates emanating from international organizations in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s."

Choice Connect October 2018 vol. 56 # 2