Arguing with Angus Deaton on aid

Tremendous news that Angus Deaton has won the Nobel prize in economics, particularly because this will further direct attention towards one of the great challenges of the age – rising inequality, on which Deaton is a great thinker, not least in The Great Escape, which deserves an even wider readership.

Last year, I had a public exchange with him on the From Poverty to Power blog, in which I disagreed with his criticisms of aid. Throughout, where other big economists (naming no names….) would have ignored or slapped me down, he engaged in a thoroughly respectful and gentlemanly manner.

If you want to catch up, here are the collected blog posts:

Me: Why Angus Deaton is (mostly) wrong to attack aid for undermining politics and accountability

Angus’ reply, making the case against aid

Jon Lomoy of the OECD responds to Angus