Why isn't the whole world as rich as the United States? Conventional views holds that differences in the share of output invested by countries account for this disparity. Not so, say Stephen Parente and Edward Prescott. In Barriers to Riches, Parente and Prescott argue that differences in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) explain this phenomenon. These differences exist because some countries erect barriers to the efficient use of readily available technology. The purpose of these barriers is to protect industry insiders with vested interests in current production processes from outside competition. Were this protection stopped, rapid TFP growth would follow in the poor countries, and the whole world would soon be rich.Barriers to Riches reflects a decade of research by the authors on this question. Like other books on the subject, it makes use of historical examples and industry studies to illuminate potential explanations for income differences. Unlike these other books, however, it uses aggregate data and general equilibrium models to evaluate the plausibility of alternative explanations. The result of this approach is the most complete and coherent treatment of the subject to date.

斯蒂芬•L•帕伦特（Stephen L. Parente），美国伊利诺伊大学香槟分校经济学系教授。他因在经济增长理论和宏观经济学研究方面的卓越成就而在学术届享有盛誉，并在American Economic Review， Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Economic Theory和Journal of Money, Credit and Banking等国际一流杂志上发表了多篇学术论文。

爱德华•C•普雷斯科特（Edward C. Prescott），2004年诺贝尔经济学奖得主，现在是美国亚利桑那州立大学教授，并担任美国联邦储备银行明尼阿波利斯分行的研究员。他曾先后在明尼苏达大学、芝加哥大学、西北大学、卡内基•梅隆大学等著名学府任教。还曾担任经济动态与控制协会主席、高级经济理论协会主席、《经济理论》主编。普雷斯科特至今发表了大量的学术文章，涉及经济周期和经济增长、计量经济学、一般均衡理论、货币、方法论和经济政策。