NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Best Books 2005 - What's on Your List? - Comments

Reader's Choice - a good call

Rob Katz — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 07:51:41 -0500

Thanks to our anonymous commenter, I went back and checked out Reader's Choice Online.

The survey, sponsored by independent bookstores based in the USA, allows users to choose either from a pre-selected list of books (including, to weewhale's dismay, Tom Freidman's The World is Flat.

So if you're looking for ideas to share at NextBillion - you might check Reader's Choice first to get your mind going.

Why is Friedman's self fellat

weewhale — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 21:18:46 -0500

Why is Friedman's self fellatiating Flat Earth book on everyone's list?(book of the year 2005 by FT etc.)

Stocking Stuffers on Aid

Courtland Walker — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 12:08:49 -0500

No matter where in the spectrum you might fall in the debate on the role of aid versus the private sector in development, I recommend Jeffrey Sachs' The End of Poverty as an excellent primer on the on-the-ground history of, challenges faced by, and reform needed in, the aid industry.

A nice counterpoint to Sachs' support for increased aid are two Shell Foundation reports, released in 2005. Available in NextBillion's Resource section, Enterprise Solutions to Poverty and Aid Reform and the Role of Enterprise call for a focus on the integration of business principles and discipline into the aid industry.

Where do you fall in the debate? Increased aid? But what about the negative correlation of official aid to GDP growth in African countries? A shift in focus to the private sector? But what kind of work force is available in economies rampant with HIV/Aids, malaria, TB and malnutrition?

The end goal is largely the same, and in the search for the most effective means, it's likely we'll find ourselves on common ground. Staying well informed about the pros and cons on both sides of the debate will help us get there.

great survey with list of best books of 05

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 20:14:45 -0500

guys i found this survey at readerschoiceonline.org that has some of the best books of the year

Best Books 2005

Emeka Okafor — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 13:31:28 -0500

George Ayittey's Africa Unchained see reviews here and here

Best Books 2005 - What's on Your List?

Rob Katz — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:01:39 -0500

You're making your list; you're checking it twice. And you're not alone – its time for everyone's year-end best-of lists. I just finished browsing strategy-business’ Best Business Books 2005, where coverage ranges from strategy to marketing to globalization. (Side note: which works are on your "best books" list – comment below). Of particular interest both are the strategy and globalization essays, where C.K. Prahalad's and Stuart Hart's recent books appear:

...a rare glimpse into the future — for those with eyes to see — of the extraordinary opportunities waiting in uncharted and seemingly impassable waters.

Operating successfully in the global economy, particularly in the poorly charted reaches of the developing world, requires optimism — optimism tempered by accurate, unbiased information.