Everyone knows that the past 20 years have been an era of
rapid overall economic progress for the vast majority of countries, especially in
the developing world. Tariffs have collapsed and countries have flung open their
borders to international trade and investment. Technology has progressed as never
before, we are told, with revolutions in such cutting-edge industries as
communications, computers, and the Internet spawning and spreading productivity
miracles around the globe. Of course, there are problems: a widening gap between
rich and poor nations; environmental destruction; and, in some countries and
regions, the poor being left behind. But the engine of growth has roared ahead.