The Tyranny Of Experts Analysis

In the “The Tyranny of Experts,” William Easterly explores the idea of poor individuals and development approaches. With examples and historical evidence, Easterly comes to the conclusion that to end the problem of poor countries/people and to pursue economic development is to give rights to the poor and treat them equally. Easterly provides four debates, the blank slate versus learning from history, nations versus individuals, conscious versus spontaneous solutions, and authoritarian versus free development, that experts need to pursue and understand.
Easterly argues that development experts have relied on the Blank Slate instead of learning from history. Experts have a Blank Slate view that sees country’s history as irrelevant to the country. Therefore, leaders impose a way of doing things instead of looking at history and learning from it. In doing so, many leaders …show more content…
He states that “benevolent an autocrat may appear for the moment, unrestrained power will always turn out to be the enemy of development” (351). While authoritarian leaders can bring some growth development, at the end it is the individuals’ rights that bring development. Authoritarian leaders can destroy opportunities for growth with their unlimited power; therefore, free development is the answer for growth development.
The most convincing debate from the four above is authoritarian versus free development because many people look at the little success of authoritarian leaders and conclude that autocrats create development growth. Development cannot grow if one person controls the whole country. People need to be aware of the issue and to have the rights to solve their problems. Without individual rights, one cannot live in a society that will grow and provide opportunities. Furthermore, Easterly gradually provides examples to come to the conclusion that authoritarian does not create opportunities for