Tariq Riaz. An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Poverty of Nations: With Special Reference to Pakistan . England: Research Publication. 2017. 392 pages. U.K. £ 7.70 (Paperback).

Looking into the institutional functioning and economicmanagement of the country, the book investigates the causes ofPakistan’s poverty and also suggests ways to achieve sustainableprosperity. Following the prologue, the book is organised in five parts.The first part traces the human evolution and the quest for economic andsocial progress, and the relation between individuals, state, andeconomic development through history. Part two talks about some basicconcepts linked to economic development and human welfare. Theseinclude: gross national product and productive capabilities; stages oftransformation of an economy; and what history tells us about how thepoor became rich. Part three presents the author’s views on theWashington Consensus policies and how it led to the domination of theneoliberal economics, and its role in creating a poverty trap. Acomparison of four Asian countries and their pathways to economicdevelopment, or lack of it, is presented in part four of the book.Looking at the economic development history of South Korea, China andIndia, Riaz explains how and why Pakistan lags behind all thesecountries. The last part of the book focuses on normative economics, andrecommends policies, which if implemented, can help build Pakistan’seconomy and transform it into an efficient and vibrant welfare state.This book can be of interest specifically to policy-makers andacademicians, but it can be a good read for anyone interested inunderstanding persistent poverty in Pakistan and measures needed to getout of it.