The natural pressure toward ever higher productivity will spread from region to region, and eventually the stalled countries will break free and begin to catch up. The countries that continue to grow will exert an ultimately irresistible influence on those that seem left behind. In each country, growth is vulnerable; in the world as a whole, it is an irresistible force. But the world’s least developed region, sub–Saharan Africa, seems to be an exception. While several sub–Saharan African countries have begun to move along the common path to economic growth, most have not.

A farmer who owns land but doesn’t have a provable title cannot borrow commercially against the security of his land, or sell it for its full value to take advantage of other opportunities. As soon as the government puts in a system that provides a clear title, the value of the land multiplies. indb 36 5/18/11 11:17 AM WHERE DOES WEALTH COME FROM if out of thin air, by effective and inexpensive titling systems. They require only political will. Or take the example of a government protecting local farmers by keeping agricultural prices high by restricting imports.

Much work of the information industries is used in support of the production of hard things like cars, as well as “hard” services like electricity. So broad categories have only limited meaning. What matters is the nature of the work people are doing. People working on the assembly-line of a large, old-fashioned factory will respond to the world differently from people making calculations in an office. As a society becomes more advanced not only does the amount of work involving physical strength and physically stressful working conditions decline, but the amount of work requiring individual judgment, human interaction, and creativity increases.