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Tropical Gangsters: One Man's Experience With Development And Decadence In Deepest Africa | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Klitgaard
Publisher: Basic Books
Category: Book
List Price: $22.50
Buy Used: $4.99
You Save: $17.51 (78%)
New (14) Used (34) Collectible (2) from $4.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 169171
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 296
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0465087604
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.96718
EAN: 9780465087600
ASIN: 0465087604
Publication Date: July 21, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Selected as one of the six best nonfiction books of 1990 by the editors f the New York Times Book Review, this is a compelling and entertaining account of the author’s two-and-a-half year adventure in Equatorial Guinea, and his efforts to get this small bankrupt African nation on the path of structural development.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Author Nailed It June 14, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I worked in Liberia for a year and could tell some of the same stories. Utter corruption at every level coupled with the average government fuctionary's well developed sense of his/her own importance makes dealing with them something that would lead Mother Teresa to drink. As the book makes clear, the state exists to serve the "elite", i.e. the gangsters. The author puts in all down in facinating detail. Haven't seen another book that captures what's wrong in Africa with such insight. Since the book was published Equatorial Guinea, the country that's the focus of the book, has come into a lot of oil wealth. The money has all disappeared into various off shore accounts owned by the gangsters in charge without benefiting the people one iota. Nothing ever changes. Aug 2008 update. I just read that Riggs Bank (now PNC) has been investigated because they have $375 million in funds that they were hiding for the gangsters.
excellent book August 2, 2005
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
engaging and informative. a must for those interested in economic rehabilitation of west african countries.
 very insightful March 26, 2005
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
(Memoir) Account of author's work as leader of
a World Bank project in Equatorial Guinea in
1987. Klitgaard provides a nice mix of stories
about day-to-day life anecdotes and how the
World Bank interacts with ministers of
government. He's also a very "groovy" guy,
jamming on the guitar with local pop stars and
continually searching for good waves.
Potentially offensive material: nothing serious
The author as Foreign Aid Surfer Dude February 25, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
What initially attracted me to Tropical Gangsters was surfing. As a surfer working at the time for AusAID, Australia's government foreign aid agency, I was fascinated by Robert Klitgaard as Foreign Aid Surfer Dude. He surfed and worked in Equatorial Guinea, paralleling a particular dream of mine, which I eventually played out in the Pacific. But his book goes much further than simply surfing the Third World: it gives a quirky and realistic picture of the difficulties (and joys) of working in a developing country. Unlike most books on development, it is a personal testament from someone who's been there and done that, and which makes an engaging read. Highly recommended.
A highly informative and unique book April 18, 2003
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
It is not very common to find a World Bank economist who writes with a touch of humor, humility and eloquence, but that is exactly what you will discover in this unique book. The author was a World Bank advisor assigned to the tiny African nation of Equatorial Guinea in the late 1980's, a time when many African nations were beginning to flirt with market reforms and economic liberalization. This book is kind of like a personal diary of the time he spent there. It is written in an easygoing, informal style. He alternates between discussing his job- trying to develop an economic strategy that will enable E. Guinea to qualify for a World Bank loan- and discussing his recreational activities, which range from surfboarding to hanging out with African rock stars. He introduces us to many people- government officials, "experts" from the UN and other international organizations, and ordinary Equatoguineans. He seems to be particularly critical of the so-called "experts," many of whom are in this remote backwater merely because "they couldn't find jobs in their own countries." Many economists and other academics seeking a rigorous, theoretical analysis of African political economy might be frustrated by this informal style, but I think it adds an extra dimension to the story of economic reform in the third world. It helps remind us that these structural adjustment policies thought up in Washington D.C. are implement by real people facing real constraints in recipient countries. Klitgaard does an excellent job of relating the pressures faced by well-intentioned (and some not so well-intentioned) government ministers, as they must deal with corruption, apathetic bureaucrats, nasty military officers, and the poor infrastructure found in every developing country. All in all, this is a great read for anybody interested in the troubles facing third-world countries, for anyone curious about why these countries can't seem to get out of their economic malaise. Although it was written in 1991, it seems just as relevant today as it did when it was written.
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