The Narrow Corridor
States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
By: Daron Acemoglu
Paperback | 17 November 2020 | Edition Number 1
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The internationally bestselling authors of Why Nations Fail on how different societies develop, and resolve, or fail to resolve, conflicts.
By the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, based on decades of research, this powerful new big-picture framework explains how some countries develop towards and provide liberty while others fall to despotism or anarchy - and explains how liberty can thrive.
Liberty is hardly the 'natural' order of things; usually states have been either too weak to protect individuals or too strong for people to protect themselves from despotism. There is also a happy Western myth that where freedom exists, it's a steady state, arrived at by 'enlightenment'. But this static view is a fantasy, the authors argue; rather, the corridor to liberty is narrow and stays open only through a self-reinforcing struggle between state and society - between elites and citizens. Liberty depends on a delicate balance between the two.
With compelling stories from around the world, in history and from today - and with a single framework through which the path of any nation can be understood - this masterpiece helps us in the vital task of understanding the past and present, and analysing the future. For today the road to freedom is becoming more treacherous, endangering the peace and prosperity that depend on it - and the opposite of the narrow corridor to liberty is the road to ruin.
About the Authors
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 Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor at the University of Chicago. They are the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, which won numerous prizes.
By the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, based on decades of research, this powerful new big-picture framework explains how some countries develop towards and provide liberty while others fall to despotism or anarchy - and explains how liberty can thrive.
Liberty is hardly the 'natural' order of things; usually states have been either too weak to protect individuals or too strong for people to protect themselves from despotism. There is also a happy Western myth that where freedom exists, it's a steady state, arrived at by 'enlightenment'. But this static view is a fantasy, the authors argue; rather, the corridor to liberty is narrow and stays open only through a self-reinforcing struggle between state and society - between elites and citizens. Liberty depends on a delicate balance between the two.
With compelling stories from around the world, in history and from today - and with a single framework through which the path of any nation can be understood - this masterpiece helps us in the vital task of understanding the past and present, and analysing the future. For today the road to freedom is becoming more treacherous, endangering the peace and prosperity that depend on it - and the opposite of the narrow corridor to liberty is the road to ruin.
About the Authors
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 Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor at the University of Chicago. They are the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, which won numerous prizes.
Industry Reviews
This book is more original and exciting than its predecessor...the highly influential Why Nations Fail
Martin Wolf * Financial Times *
One of the biggest paradoxes of political history is the trend, over the last 10,000 years, towards the development of strong centralized states, out of the former bands and tribes of no more than a few hundred people that formerly constituted all human societies. Without such states, it would be impossible for societies of millions to function. But-how can a powerful state be reconciled with liberty for the state's citizens? This great book provides an answer to this fundamental dilemma. You will find it as enjoyable as it is thought-provoking
Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography at UCLA, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
Another outstanding, insightful book by Acemoglu and Robinson on the importance and difficulty of getting and maintaining a successful democratic state. Packed with examples and analysis, it is a pleasure to read
Peter Diamond, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2010
Society and state need each other. Applying a global wealth of historical detail to a simple analytic framework, Acemoglu and Robinson build a powerful argument against the current opposing fashions of totalitarianism and the stateless society
Sir Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion
The Narrow Corridor takes us on a fascinating journey, across continents and through human history, to discover the critical ingredient of liberty. It finds that it's up to each of us: that ingredient is our own commitments, as citizens, to support democratic values. In these times, there can be no more important message-nor any more important book
George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001
How should we view the current challenges facing our democracies? This brilliant, timely book offers a simple, powerful framework for assessing alternative forms of social governance. The analysis is a reminder that it takes vigilance to maintain a proper balance between the state and society-to stay in the 'narrow corridor'-and avoid falling either into statelessness or dictatorship
Bengt Holmstrom, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2016
Martin Wolf * Financial Times *
One of the biggest paradoxes of political history is the trend, over the last 10,000 years, towards the development of strong centralized states, out of the former bands and tribes of no more than a few hundred people that formerly constituted all human societies. Without such states, it would be impossible for societies of millions to function. But-how can a powerful state be reconciled with liberty for the state's citizens? This great book provides an answer to this fundamental dilemma. You will find it as enjoyable as it is thought-provoking
Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography at UCLA, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
Another outstanding, insightful book by Acemoglu and Robinson on the importance and difficulty of getting and maintaining a successful democratic state. Packed with examples and analysis, it is a pleasure to read
Peter Diamond, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2010
Society and state need each other. Applying a global wealth of historical detail to a simple analytic framework, Acemoglu and Robinson build a powerful argument against the current opposing fashions of totalitarianism and the stateless society
Sir Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion
The Narrow Corridor takes us on a fascinating journey, across continents and through human history, to discover the critical ingredient of liberty. It finds that it's up to each of us: that ingredient is our own commitments, as citizens, to support democratic values. In these times, there can be no more important message-nor any more important book
George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001
How should we view the current challenges facing our democracies? This brilliant, timely book offers a simple, powerful framework for assessing alternative forms of social governance. The analysis is a reminder that it takes vigilance to maintain a proper balance between the state and society-to stay in the 'narrow corridor'-and avoid falling either into statelessness or dictatorship
Bengt Holmstrom, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2016
ISBN: 9780241314333
ISBN-10: 024131433X
Published: 17th November 2020
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number of Pages: 608
Audience: General Adult
Publisher: Penguin UK
Country of Publication: GB
Edition Number: 1
Dimensions (cm): 3.7 x 12.9 x 19.5
Weight (kg): 0.42
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