These essays cover approximately a half a century from approximately the 1960s to the end of the millennium. Patel begins with a broad review of changes in the world economy in the second half of the twentieth century and then summarizes its main features. "In all his work, Surendra Patel was purposeful in making the science of economics work for the betterment of the human race. He had the rare ability to make economic statistics talk to us, to chart the remarkable achievements of the third world in the four decades following decolonization..."-Kari Polanyi-Levitt, Honourary President of Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.