(B)asic principles of economics are neglected in development today, starting with the idea beloved by Bill Gates, [World Bank President, 2012-2019] Jim Yong Kim, and the United Nations Development Goals: setting goals and then finding evidence-based ways to reach them.
William Easterly (2013). The Tyranny of Experts. Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor, p 254-255
This is not the way the “association of problem-solvers” solves problems. The decentralized system finds the cheapest solutions to problems, through markets and democratic feedback from individuals. Which problems get solved – which goals get met – are among the many choices that emerge from this decentralized system. The problems that get solved are those where individuals perceive the highest benefits relative to the costs.