logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2012
56m 40s

Daron Acemoglu on Why Nations Fail

RUSS ROBERTS
About this episode
Daron Acemoglu of MIT and author (with James Robinson) of Why Nations Fail talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in his book: why some nations fail and others succeed, why some nations grow over time and sustain that growth, while others grow and then stagnate. Acemoglu draws on an exceptionally rich set of examples over space and time to ar ... Show More
Up next
Today
The Status Game (with Will Storr)
<p>Will Storr talks about his book <i>The Status Game</i> with EconTalk host Russ Roberts, exploring how our deep need for respect and recognition shapes our behavior. The conversation delves into how we constantly judge others and compare ourselves to them, the pain of losing st ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 17
The Wonder of the Emergent Mind (with Gaurav Suri)
<p>How is your brain like an ant colony? They both use simple parts following simple rules which allows the whole to be so much more than the sum of the parts. Listen as neuroscientist and author Gaurav Suri explains how the mind emerges from the neural network of the brain, why ... Show More
1h 39m
Nov 10
Shampoo, Property Rights, and Civilization (with Anthony Gill)
<p>Why is it okay to take the little shampoo bottles in hotels home with you but not the towels? And what stops people from taking the towels? Listen as political scientist Anthony Gill discusses the enforcement of property rights with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Backing up their ob ... Show More
1h 8m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Mark Robert Rank, "The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity" (Oxford UP, 2023)
The paradox of poverty amidst plenty has plagued the United States throughout the 21st century--why should the wealthiest country in the world also have the highest rates of poverty among the industrialized nations? Based on his decades-long research and scholarship, one of the n ... Show More
29m 42s
Mar 2023
Mark Robert Rank, "The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity" (Oxford UP, 2023)
The paradox of poverty amidst plenty has plagued the United States throughout the 21st century--why should the wealthiest country in the world also have the highest rates of poverty among the industrialized nations? Based on his decades-long research and scholarship, one of the n ... Show More
32m 27s
Aug 2023
Dynamics Among Nations: The Evolution of Legitimacy and Development in Modern States
Liberal internationalism has been the West's foreign policy agenda since the Cold War, and the West has long occupied the top rung of a hierarchical system. In Dynamics Among Nations, Hilton Root argues that international relations, like other complex ecosystems, exists in a cons ... Show More
17m 31s
Feb 2024
Why Africa Is Still Poor - Exclusive Interview with Daron Acemoglu
We were lucky enough to talk with Prof. Asemoglu of MIT about why Africa lags economically despite so much aid and resources being pumped into the country each year. From the impact of institutions to the legacy of policies, we talked about the reasons behind the continent's chal ... Show More
54m 16s
Feb 2024
124. Daron Acemoglu on Economics, Politics, and Power
<p>Economist Daron Acemoglu likes to tackle big questions. He tells Steve how colonialism still affects us today, who benefits from new technology, and why democracy wasn’t always a sure thing.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://economics.mit.edu/ ... Show More
44m 32s
Nov 2018
The United Nations
Britain has been heavily criticised by the United Nations expert on extreme poverty and human rights, over what he describes as its “draconian” benefits sanctions. Philip Alston has taken a 12-day tour of some of the most deprived areas of the UK and he is not impressed with what ... Show More
42m 34s
May 2020
#205 — The Failure of Meritocracy
Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Markovits about the problems with meritocracy. They discuss the nature of inequality in the United States, the disappearance of the leisure class, the difference between labor and capital as sources of inequality, the way the education system amplifi ... Show More
58m 59s
Apr 2022
Thomas Piketty on the Politics of Equality
<p>When it comes to the enormous reduction of income inequality during the 20th century, Thomas Piketty sees politics everywhere. In his new book, <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Equality-Thomas-Piketty/dp/0674273559"> <em>A Brief History of Equality</em></a>, he a ... Show More
53m 25s