
James A. Robinson
James A. Robinson, a political scientist and economist, is one of nine University Professors at the University of Chicago. Focused on Latin America and Africa, he is currently conducting research in Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Haiti, and Colombia, where he has taught for many years during the summer at the University of the Andes in Bogotá. His fieldwork in these regions has provided invaluable firsthand insights into the political and economic dynamics that shape development outcomes, allowing him to merge theoretical frameworks with practical realities in his influential scholarship.
Robinson is best known for his collaborations with Daron Acemoglu, with whom he co-authored Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. This widely acclaimed book examines why some nations thrive while others remain mired in poverty, emphasizing the importance of inclusive political and economic institutions. Their subsequent work, The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty, delves into the delicate balance of power between state and society necessary to sustain freedom and prosperity.
- Economics, Political Science
- 1960
- Male
- 1
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Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
What if a nation’s fate hinges not on resources or culture, but on a silent war between those who hoard power and those fighting to dismantle it? In Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson expose how centuries of extractive institutions—crafted by elites to siphon wealth from the masses—trap societies in cycles of poverty, while inclusive systems ignite revolutions of innovation and freedom. But when the very foundations of power crumble, will humanity break free from history’s cruelest paradox… or become its next casualty?
- Originally Published: 2012
- Publisher : Crown Currency, 2013
- Pages: 544
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN-13: 978-0307719225
- Access: Members