Speaker
The Prosperity Paradox
March 6, 2019
Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the economic trajectory of poor countries. From education to healthcare, and infrastructure to eradicating corruption, too many solutions rely on trial and error. Essentially, the plan is often to identify areas that need help, flood them with resources, and hope to see change over time. But hope is not an effective strategy.
Drawing from his work with Clayton M. Christensen and Karen Dillon in their new book, The Prosperity Paradox (Harber Business, 2019), Efosa Ojomo will discuss what they call a paradox at the heart of solving poverty, calling into question many proposed solutions that have delivered inconsistent results or have even exacerbated the problems.
Efosa Ojomo is currently a senior research fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, where he leads the organization’s Global Prosperity research. He works alongside Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen in figuring out the best ways to help entrepreneurs, policymakers, and development practitioners spur economic prosperity in low- and middle-income countries, and in depressed regions in high-income economies.
His work has been published by the Harvard Business Review, Guardian, Quartz, and the World Bank, and he regularly speaks on the topic of innovation and economic development. His most recent book, published alongside Professor Clayton Christensen and Karen Dillon is titled The Prosperity Paradox: How innovation can lift nations out of poverty.
