In 88 poor countries for which we have data, in each and every one of the 88, the PPP for food shows that poor people can buy less food than you would expect from the PPP that the World Bank is using. The reason for this is obvious on reflection. It has to do with the fact that most foodstuffs are tradable commodities: basic foodstuffs, such as rice, flour and beans, can easily be conveyed across national borders and their prices will therefore roughly mirror the exchange rates among currencies.
Noah Richler
What a joy it is to read a book that shocks one into remembering just how high one's literary standards should be. . . . a tour de force by one of England's best novelists. . . . Atonement is a spectacular book; as good a novel - and more satisfying. . . - than anything McEwan has written. . . . sublimely written narrative. . . . The Dunkirk passage is a stupendous piece of writing, a set piece that could easily stand on its own.
