Muhammad Yunus is a living example of how one person’s hard work, good will, and creative thinking can enhance the lives of millions of people. Unfortunately, his inspiring and well-intentioned recent book is a striking example of the limits of this approach.

The founder of Bangladesh’s acclaimed Grameen Bank, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a pioneer of “microlending,” Yunus deserves enormous credit for lifting tens of millions of his countrymen and others out of poverty through an innovative financial product that enables entrepreneurs without credit histories or collateral to borrow money.