Economist Paul Collier writes that although nearly five billion of the world's people are beginning to climb from desperate poverty and to benefit from globalization's reach to developing countries, there is a "bottom billion" of the world's poor whose countries, largely immune to the forces of global economy, are falling farther behind and are in danger of falling apart, separating permanently and tragically from the rest of the world. Collier identifies and explains the four traps that prevent the homelands of the world's billion poorest people from growing and receiving the benefits of globalization - civil war, the discovery and export of natural resources in otherwise unstable economies, being landlocked and therefore unable to participate in the global economy without great cost, and finally, ineffective governance -- Publisher's description.

Originally published: 2007.

What's the issue. Falling behind and falling apart : the bottom billion -- The traps. The conflict trap -- The natural resource trap -- Landlocked with bad neighbors -- Bad governance in a small country -- An interlude : globalization to the rescue. On missing the boat : the marginalization of the bottom billion in the world economy -- Aid to the rescue? -- Military intervention -- Laws and charters -- Trade policy for reversing marginalization -- The struggle for the bottom billion. An agenda for action.