Professor of Economics at Cambridge University, Chang has been a consultant for the United Nations, Oxfam International and the World Bank for issues regarding global economic development.
In 2005 he was awarded the Leontief Award by the Global Development and Environment Institute. He has published 12 books, including Kicking Away the Ladder, which won the Myrdal Award in 2003, and the recent Bad Samaritans: Rich Nations, Poor Policies and the Threat to the Developing World.