The Rise and Fall of Nations
Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World
This pioneering work demystifies the drivers behind political, economic, and social change.
Shaped by his twenty-five years traveling the world, and enlivened by encounters with villagers from Rio to Beijing, tycoons, and presidents, Ruchir Sharma’s TheRise and Fall of Nations rethinks the "dismal science" of economics as a practical art.Narrowing the thousands of factors that can shape a country’s fortunes to ten clear rules, Sharma explains how to spot political, economic, and social changes in real time. He shows how to read political headlines, black markets, the price of onions, and billionaire rankings as signals of booms, busts, and protests. Set ina post-crisis age that has turned the world upside down, replacing fast growth with slow growth and political calm with revolt, Sharma’s pioneering book is an entertaining field guide to understanding change in this era or any era.
W.W. Norton & Company (June13, 2017)
Reviews
"Filled with amazing data. . . fascinating insights and revealing anecdotes, this is quite simply the best guide to the global economy today.Whether you are an observer or an investor, you cannot afford to ignore it." — Fareed Zakaria
"For insights into the forces operating in our world today, The Rise andFall of Nations is a stimulating and useful guide." — Financial Times
"Entertaining, acute and disarmingly honest. . . . [Sharma] has a knack for sharp comparisons between countries. Australia’s history of high immigration is contrasted with Japan’s insularity. . . . He is pithy, too. In countries with rotten financial systems, ‘a shake-up of banking is a shake-up of society.’ . . . Mr. Sharma’s book isa fine guide to the great emerging market boom and bust." — The Economist
"In this lively and informative book, Sharma explains his system of 10rules for identifying economies with good potential. Among the striking conclusions is his bearishness about China, largely becauseof its huge and growing indebtedness." — Martin Wolf, Financial Times
"What determines whether countries succeed or fail? That’s the big question Ruchir Sharma sets out to answer in The Rise and Fall ofNations. . . . Sharma’s mission is as ambitious as it is well-executed. A mix of humble pragmatism and daring decisiveness make his tips compelling and credible. . . . The author backs up each of the rules with a combination of hard facts and colorful anecdotes gathered on his travels. . . . Sharma’s tried and tested tenets and eloquent delivery will reward anyone hoping to understand what determines the fickle fortunes of nations." — Katrina Hamlin, Reuters
"Compelling.. . a success. . . . The local insight adds color, while the data reassures us that his analysis is underpinned by more than a series of conversations with taxi drivers. . . . Much more than an investment primer. The issues he deals with, from growth to inequality, are of much broader interest. . . . This does not necessarily mean he will be right —but it does mean his projections are more easily testable. . . . Sharma’s book provides a good guide for working out what will come next." — Duncan Weldon, Prospect magazine
"A vital guide to the new economic order. . . . Sharma has been one ofthe prescient seers of the Chinese debt crisis." — Rana Foroohar, Time Magazine
