The Divide

Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets

By: Jason Hickel

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Sixty percent of humanity - some four-point-three billion people - live in debilitating poverty. The standard development narrative suggests that alleviating poverty in poor countries is a matter of getting the internal policies right, combined with aid from rich countries. But anthropologist Jason Hickel argues that this approach misses the broader political forces at play.

Global poverty - and the growing divide between "developing" and "developed" countries - has to do with how the global economy has been designed over the course of 500 years through conquest, colonialism, regime change, debt, and trade deals. Global inequality doesn't just exist; it has been created.

To close the divide, Dr. Hickel proposes dramatic action rooted in real justice: we must abolish debt burdens in the developing world; democratize the IMF, World Bank, and WTO; and institute a global minimum wage, among many other vital steps. Only then will we have a chance at a world built on equal footing.

©2017 Jason Hickel (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Stunning

On a recommendation from Eddie of Midwestern Marx, I decided to listen. It ranks in my top 10 as one of the most enlightening books I have have the pleasure of hearing. Thank you, Eddie and Mr. Hickel.

a must read

wanna know why us buying new phones every year will kill the entire planet? this book is for you. wanna know why Europe and the US are so rich while the rest of the world struggles to survive on the brink of perpetual hunger? this book is for you. wanna know if you can bring your contribution to a better world? it's easy and you can find the answer in every page of this book.

Finally!

This book does an incredible job at explaining why certain countries can’t seem to get out of poverty, and how it is not an accident or down to incapable citizens. This book should be mandatory reading for every high school student. Please, someone create a 2 hour documentary out of this material in order to make it more widely recognized

Global Hope

This could be the most important message you will ever hear. It should be mandatory listening (reading) globally. Let’s change the world. The only ones who will suffer will be the top 1%, those who charge ridiculous usury, patent holders who charge insane prices for needed medicines, and other such criminals.

The Legacy of Fifteenth Century Enclosures

Terrifying colonial history that brings you right to present day and describes how we are still living the legacy of colonial rule. The enclosure acts in Europe that removed people from their land to feed the global amoeba market and create dependence in the 1400’s has repeatedly happened throughout history and continues in new ways today. The amount that developed countries are dependent on global south minerals and cheap labor is still an injustice we benefit from today. Happy he ends with an emphasis on soil health and restoring the indigenous practices that colonialism has undone.

Combining history, story, politics and KPI’s

We should all read and care for this topic. But i would’ve preferred a more appealing experience of the content. Both in editing as well as in the narration

Enlightening

narrator was good. The author truly synthesized the problem and prescribed the solutions. The book gave me a renew sense of focus and drive to so my best by advocating for justice and action to combat all this inequities that plague our socciety.

Wow - a MUST read

Jason Hickel provides an incredibly detailed analysis of the global economic system with this book. He truly leaves no stone unturned. Hickel challenges commonly accepted ideologies tied to capitalism, neoliberalism, and free market theories.

Actually a really engaging read

I at first thought this might be bad because it was free and because it necessarily retrod the history of colonialism that many of us are already familiar with. But it’s so much more than that. So many of the observations and explanations about economic policy are fascinating, clearly laid out, and convincing. The author has no shortage of layers to his argument and the overall picture is extremely compelling. I found myself hooked all the way through the end despite not being sure if I would bother finishing the book when I first downloaded it. This is also a good companion to David Graeber’s “Debt” if you’ve read that.

Book of the decade

A phenomenal introduction to global inequality, the role of western economic power, and realistic changes that can be made for a better future for all. The structure and flow of such a complex topic was exceptional. Absolutely brilliant.