Efforts to bring about peace have often focused on eliminating the conditions of war, violence and terrorism. But as Steve Killelea—founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace and the annual Global Peace Index—explains, the foundations of sustainable peace are radically different from the absence of war and violence. Here, he recommends five books that shed light on the building blocks of peace and explains why ‘positive peace’ is so important.

Should you feel responsible for helping the world become better? And if so, how should you use your time, money, and career to have the biggest possible impact? These are the questions addressed by the effective altruism movement. One of its leading figures, Will MacAskill, recommends the best books to answer them.

When dealing with epidemics, science does not have all the answers and relying on a new miracle drug is not always the solution. We must also learn the lessons of history, argues the veteran doctor of the HIV/Aids epidemic, Arthur Ammann. He picks the best books on ‘plagues.’

One out of every 122 people in the world today is displaced by conflict. David Miliband, president of the IRC, chooses five books to help us think constructively about refugees and the causes of the current crisis.

We all know how children should be brought up, and rarely question the cultural norms that underly that certainty. But what does that mean for the policies we try to impose on the developing world? Jo Boyden, professor of international development at Oxford University and director of its Young Lives study, picks books that question our assumptions about how to successfully raise a child.

Katrina was not a natural disaster but an engineering one, says the journalist and author. He chooses the best books on Hurricane Katrina, ranging from a novel to a geographical biography of New Orleans.

The history of vaccines is fascinating, and we highly recommend all the books discussed in this interview with Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus and Professor of Science Writing at MIT. These are gripping reads that tell the story of vaccines, medicine’s greatest life-saver, and the risks people took to find them.

Infectious disease expert—and former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— Thomas Frieden, takes us inside the world of fighting epidemics, eradicating disease and confronting the preventable damage we do to ourselves.

The head of USAID says ending poverty is within our grasp, and explains why development and a flair for business can be a happy combination

The Bangladeshi campaigner for lifting women out of poverty says village life has been wrongly idealised. It is not a harmonious whole, with the elders looking after the interests of all the villagers alike

Millions of people around the world still die of malnourishment each year, and 815 million people go hungry, according to statistics for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. And yet, there is hope. Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow for Global Food and Agriculture at the Chicago Council and author of Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, recommends books with inspiring examples of what individuals and organizations have done to try and reduce sickness and hunger around the world.

Disaster reconstruction and climate change expert, Khurshid Alam, talks through five illuminating books on natural disasters and outlines some of the key political issues relating to disaster management.

The UN veteran chooses books on the fate of children in the developing world and the Millennium Goals and says giving money to the poor works

Co-founder of Forum For The Future and one of the leading experts on climate change hammers home the need to encourage sustainable development technologies across the globe

“I was looking for books that offer good, practical ideas on how to make the world a better place.” Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof, recommends books to read if you’d like to save the world.

The actress and humanitarian activist says that in any genocide 95 per cent of us are capable of being led or enticed to a tipping point where we can pick up a machete and hack to death strangers and friends alike.

The prominent international economic adviser, Jeff Sachs, says we can reduce poverty by devoting just a modest fraction of our vast wealth to the effort.

Aid worker and consultant for Catholic Relief Services says working in tragic situations where victims have been traumatised is emotionally gruelling – but insists there are still opportunities to bring about change

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize-winner talks about his creation of micro-credit and walks us through his five books on poverty and how to eradicate it – includes Zola’s Germinal and Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities

What is economic development? What does it take to make it happen? What can we learn from the days Britain was still a developing country?  Eminent Indian economist, Pranab Bardhan, recommends the best books to better understand economic development.

Lecturer in international conflict says the idea that it is right and legitimate for states to intervene in others’ affairs is a very dangerous trend, especially in the name of humanitarianism

Modern microfinance was born in the late 1970s, and is now viewed as a key way of helping people in poor countries get out of poverty. Author and practitioner Stuart Rutherford recommends the best books to get a basic understanding of microfinance.

The director of The Institute for State Effectiveness, Clare Lockhart, questions the role of the state and discusses the effects of failed states on both neighbouring and local populations. She picks the best books on failed states.