Economics has the capacity to offer us deep insights into some of the most formidable problems of life & offer solutions to them too. Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life Partha Dasgupta describes the lives of two children who live very different lives in different parts of the world: in the Mid-West USA & in Ethiopia. He compares the obstacles facing them & the processes that shape their lives their families & their futures. He shows how economics uncovers these processes finds explanations for them & how it forms policies & solutions. Along the way Dasgupta provides an intelligent & accessible introduction to key economic factors & concepts such as individual choices national policies efficiency equity development sustainability dynamic equilibrium property rights markets & public goods.