From the Book - First edition.
Preface: Why Egyptians filled Tahrir Square to bring down Hosni Mubarak and what it means for our understanding of the causes of prosperity and poverty
So close and yet so different : Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, have the same people, culture, and geography. Why is one rich and one poor?
Theories that don't work : poor countries are poor not because of their geographies or cultures, or because their leaders do not know which policies will enrich their citizens
The making of prosperity and poverty : how prosperity and poverty are determined by the incentives created by institutions, and how politics determines what institutions a nation has
Small differences and critical junctures: the weight of history : how institutions change through political conflict and how the past shapes the present
"I've seen the future, and it works" : growth under extractive institutions : what Stalin, King Shyaam, the Neolithic Revolution, and the Maya city-states all had in common and how this explains why China's current economic growth cannot last
Drifting apart : how institutions evolve over time, often slowly drifting apart
The turning point : how a political revolution in 1688 changed institutions in England and led to the Industrial Revolution
Not on our turf : barriers to development : why the politically powerful in many nations opposed the Industrial Revolution
Reversing development : how European colonialism impoverished large parts of the world
The diffusion of prosperity : how some parts of the world took different paths to prosperity from that of Britain
The virtuous circle : how institutions that encourage prosperity create positive feedback loops that prevent the efforts by elites to undermine them
The vicious circle : how institutions that create poverty generate negative feedback loops and endure
Why nations fail today : institutions, institutions, institutions
Breaking the mold : how a few countries changed their economic trajectory by changing their institutions
Understanding prosperity and poverty : how the world could have been different and how understanding this can explain why most attempts to combat poverty have failed.
Preface: Why Egyptians filled Tahrir Square to bring down Hosni Mubarak and what it means for our understanding of the causes of prosperity and poverty
So close and yet so different : Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, have the same people, culture, and geography. Why is one rich and one poor?
Theories that don't work : poor countries are poor not because of their geographies or cultures, or because their leaders do not know which policies will enrich their citizens
The making of prosperity and poverty : how prosperity and poverty are determined by the incentives created by institutions, and how politics determines what institutions a nation has
Small differences and critical junctures: the weight of history : how institutions change through political conflict and how the past shapes the present
"I've seen the future, and it works" : growth under extractive institutions : what Stalin, King Shyaam, the Neolithic Revolution, and the Maya city-states all had in common and how this explains why China's current economic growth cannot last
Drifting apart : how institutions evolve over time, often slowly drifting apart
The turning point : how a political revolution in 1688 changed institutions in England and led to the Industrial Revolution
Not on our turf : barriers to development : why the politically powerful in many nations opposed the Industrial Revolution
Reversing development : how European colonialism impoverished large parts of the world
The diffusion of prosperity : how some parts of the world took different paths to prosperity from that of Britain
The virtuous circle : how institutions that encourage prosperity create positive feedback loops that prevent the efforts by elites to undermine them
The vicious circle : how institutions that create poverty generate negative feedback loops and endure
Why nations fail today : institutions, institutions, institutions
Breaking the mold : how a few countries changed their economic trajectory by changing their institutions
Understanding prosperity and poverty : how the world could have been different and how understanding this can explain why most attempts to combat poverty have failed.