A wise person once said, “If you throw money at the poor, they will duck.” Dambisa Moyo delivers a less apocryphal version of this maxim in her new book Dead Aid: If affluent nations continue to throw money at poverty-stricken African countries, both sides will find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of dependency and corruption and the latter will emerge in worse shape than before. Moyo, a Zambian who built her econ chops researching African development at Goldman Sachs and the World Bank, seeks to debunk the conventional wisdom that Africa would come apart were it not for international aid. Instead, she argues, we must encourage economic autonomy across the continent. Say what you will about her conclusions—and her solutions for the hypothetical African nation of Dongo do leave something to be desired—but you can’t deny that her analysis is as provocative as it is politically incorrect. MOYO READS AT 7 P.M. AT POLITICS AND PROSE, 5015 CONNECTICUT AVE. NW. FREE. (202) 364-1919.