James A. Robinson
James Alan Robinson (born 1960) is a British economist and political scientist who serves as University Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago since 2015 and prior to that taught at Harvard University between 2004 and 2015. Robinson has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, University of Southern California and the University of Melbourne and is the co-author of Why Nations Fail along with Daron Acemoglu.
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
How do we make sense of the disparity between the rich and poor? Why do some nations prosper and others fail? Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson argue that the common explanations of geography, culture, and ignorance are all inadequate. The answer to the question of inequality is found in institutions. Some nations have political and economic institutions conducive to growth while others do not. Why Nations Fail tells us why popular hypotheses don’t work and why institutions are the true difference makers.
The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is democracy. MIT professor Daron Acemoglu and University of Chicago professor James A. Robinson lead us down what they call “the narrow corridor,” a pathway and crucible through which a civilization or culture must pass if liberty is to be realized. Framing this narrow corridor is an excessively strong society on one side and an excessively strong state on the other. Too strong a society, and there’s anarchy; too strong a state, and there’s dictatorship. Liberty either unprotected or unprotected. Drawing from history and geopolitics, Acemoglu and Robinson show us why liberty is so tough to develop and hang on to.
Bio information sourced from Wikipedia
