Suppose a country starts its independence with the three economic characteristics that globally make a country prone to civil war: low income, slow growth, and dependence upon primary commodity exports. It is playing Russian roulette. That is not just an idle metaphor: the risk that a country in the bottom billion falls into civil war in any five-year period is nearly one in six, the same risk facing a player of Russian roulette.

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About Paul Collier, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

Paul Collier, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It.

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  • War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war

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