
Why Nations Fail
The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
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Narrated by:
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Dan Woren
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Written by:
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Daron Acemoglu
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James A. Robinson
About this listen
Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?
Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?
Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions - with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.
Based on 15 years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:
- China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West?
- Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?
- What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?
Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2012 Daron Acemoglu (P)2012 Random HouseCritic Reviews
"Why Nations Fail is a truly awesome book. Acemoglu and Robinson tackle one of the most important problems in the social sciences - a question that has bedeviled leading thinkers for centuries - and offer an answer that is brilliant in its simplicity and power. A wonderfully readable mix of history, political science, and economics, this book will change the way we think about economic development. Why Nations Fail is a must-read book." (Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics)
What listeners say about Why Nations Fail
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- SAKET
- 13-05-24
Unbiased opinion
An eye opener to its truest sense. Far more organised than most of the other economic opinions
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- Gokul U.
- 18-11-19
A very broad understanding of why nations fail
Highly recommended to continue your understanding of nation building, authoritarianism, inclusive and extractive institutions. I learnt a lot about regions I didn't know about before.
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- Abdul Malik
- 15-05-21
inside knowledge on how nations fail
Even though the content of this book is not aligned to the current times however the learning provided on failed nations is immense. The comparison given on a well to do nation with a struggling one was amazing. The narration was also good, Overall I really liked it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 18-01-25
Recommend reading
I like this book, written by Nobel prize winning author explains about nation’s economic prosperity
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- Tamizh
- 30-04-20
A breathtaking coverage of international economy
awesome in its sweep and depth. a must for every student of economics, history and politics. excellent narration, indeed!
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- Deepak
- 23-12-22
Great
It was long, informative and detailed. Though there is a small for opportunity but still I will call it a great book. Thanks for writing and presenting.
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- Avinash Tavares
- 20-10-20
brilliant
An insightful journey through the economic history of nations. It has changed my way of looking at government policies. As an Indian I couldn't explain to people why govt promoting multinational Indian based companies like reliance and Adani is bad for india. now I know exactly why. thank you
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- pradeep kapoor
- 28-10-24
A remarkable book.
This is very insightful study and assessment of why some nations continue to be poor and miserable and some have become rich and prosperous.However the Chinese phenomenon deserves and needs a separate detailed study.Even though China has an extractive political system,it has achieved stunning economic success.
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- sachin shridhar
- 11-06-25
Masterpiece
it is an all time great book. All economists,policy makers and historians as also any reader wanting to expand his world view, all must read this masterpiece.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-01-22
generally interesting. bit hard to get through
solid core premise and lots of interesting details about the history of various nations that I was unaware of. The flow of the book was somewhat hampered by unnecessary repetitions and some needless minutiae.
I didn't particularly enjoy the narration.
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