Why Nations Fail (Winner Of Paddy Power And Total Politics

Description: This is a provocative bestseller that explains why the world is divided into nations with wildly differing levels of prosperity. Why are some nations more prosperous than others? "Why Nations Fail" sets out to answer this question, with a compelling and elegantly argued new theory: that it is not down to climate, geography or culture, but because of institutions. Drawing on an extraordinary range of contemporary and historical examples, from ancient Rome through the Tudors to modern-day China, leading academics Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson show that to invest and prosper, people need to know that if they work hard, they can make money and actually keep it - and this means sound institutions that allow virtuous circles of innovation, expansion and peace. Based on fifteen years of research, and answering the competing arguments of authors ranging from Max Weber to Jeffrey Sachs and Jared Diamond, Acemoglu and Robinson step boldly into the territory of Francis Fukuyama and Ian Morris. They blend economics, politics, history and current affairs to provide a new, powerful and persuasive way of understanding wealth and poverty.

Review: "'A must-read. Acemoglu and Robinson are intellectual heavyweights of the first rank' (Guardian) 'An important book' (New York Times) 'An intellectually rich book that develops an important thesis with verve' (FT) 'It's a great read. Like me, you may succumb to reading it in one go, and then you may come back to it again and again.' (Jared Diamond, Pulitzer-prize-winning author)"

Prizes: Winner of Paddy Power and Total Politics Political Book Awards: Politics Book of the Year 2012.

Author Biography: Daron Acemoglu is the Killian Professor of Economics at MIT and recipient of the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal. James A. Robinson is a political scientist and economist and the David Florence Professor of Government at Harvard University and a world-renowned expert on Latin America and Africa. They are the authors of Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, which won numerous prizes.