Why Nations Fail
by Daron Acemoglu
The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
72%
Critic Reviews: 22
-
- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
74%
Reader Ratings: 314
Write a review
Synopsis
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... more
About Daron Acemoglu
Published: March 20, 2012 by Random House
Genre: Business & Economics, Political & Social Sciences. Non-fiction. 544 pages
Critic Reviews for Why Nations Fail : The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
Add Critic Review- All Critics: 22
- Positive: 17
- Negative: 5
-
The Guardian | 10 Mar 2012
For anyone remotely interested in these issues Why Nations Fail is a must-read....This alone would be reason to take notice: a vital topic, top scholars, and a well-written book.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The Economist | 10 Mar 2012
The intuition behind the theory is nonetheless compelling, which makes the scarcity of policy prescriptions frustrating.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Business Week | 19 Apr 2012
Ranging from imperial Rome to modern Botswana, this book will change the way people think about the wealth and poverty of nations.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Times Higher Education | 15 Mar 2012
Still, these minor irritations should not blind us to this book's great merits. The authors put themselves forward as presenting a fundamental challenge to Diamond...They have done so thoroughly and with imagination and care.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Literary Review
Though it contains flaws, Why Nations Fail is powerful and fascinating, informed by decades of careful scholarship....If this book can push institutions up the list of policymakers' priorities, it will do us all a great service.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Kirkus Reviews | 24 Jan 2012
For economics and political-science students, surely, but also for the general reader who will appreciate how gracefully the authors wear their erudition.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Reason Magazine | 10 Apr 2012
Why Nations Fail is persuasive, but somewhat unsatisfying...Acemoglu and Robinson have convincingly identified the cure for poverty, but no one has yet figured out how to get the patients to take the medicine.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Finance & Development
...a great read: ambitious and compelling in its combination of broad scope and fascinating detail.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Dale & Co. | 6 Apr 2012
...a big, easy to read survey of what makes nations fail- and just as much what makes them succeed – packed with fascinating historical cases studies.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
ProductivityandGrowth.com | 18 Apr 2012
They assembled what is, in effect, a gigantic, super-complete database of every country’s history, and used it to ask questions... They found unexpected answers—ones that may not satisfy partisans of either side, but have the ring of truth.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The Washington Post | 20 Apr 2012
It’s not. It’s bracing, garrulous, wildly ambitious and ultimately hopeful. It may, in fact, be a bit of a masterpiece.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The Kaplinsky Report | 28 Apr 2012
Whilst one may be tempted to view this query as a complex question...with lots of academic technical babble thrown for good measure, the authors surprisingly expound their argument with simplistic graphics and everyday prose.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Hacer Latin American News | 23 Mar 2012
“Why Nations Fail” is a splendid piece of scholarship and a showcase of economic rigor. But even so, it captures only part of the story. To understand economic growth at a deeper level we need to go beyond neoclassical economics...
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Labour Uncut | 29 Apr 2012
Two things distinguish Why nations fail the simplicity of its argument and the sheer range and scope of historical references. Acemoglu and Robinson cover the Roman Empire, the history of Ethiopia, Congo, Bolivia...
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Los Angeles Times | 29 Apr 2012
Overall, this is an excellent, informative, and thought-provoking book.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The American Interest | 26 Mar 2012
One only wishes then that the authors had made better use of basic categories long in play in other parts of the social sciences...instead of inventing neologisms that obscure more than they reveal.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Weatherford Center for International Affairs, Harvard
But the authors give short shrift to the presence and meaning of Enlightenment ideals....The intuition behind the theory is nonetheless compelling, which makes the scarcity of policy prescriptions frustrating.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Charlotte Observer | 17 May 2012
...makes for compelling, sometimes even riveting reading. Playing off of the ’80s Oldsmobile commercial, this is definitely not your father’s econ book!
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The Wall Street Journal | 24 Mar 2012
"Why Nations Fail" is a vital work for these times....It an eloquent and powerful statement of the long-run success of democratic capitalism at a time when it is under attack.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The New York Review of Books | 7 Jun 2011
Whereas most writing by academic economists is incomprehensible to the lay public, Acemoglu and Robinson have written this book so that it can be understood and enjoyed by all of us who aren’t economists.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
Hindustan Times | 4 May 2012
Sadly, Acemoglu and Robinson have no perspective on post-liberalisation India....For those who despair of the present state of affairs in India, this book provides grounds to be reassured that, in the long run, we are all likely to be well-off.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin... -
The Wall Street Journal | 24 Mar 2012
"Why Nations Fail" is a vital work for these times, directing our attention to the big picture regarding the poverty and prosperity of nations.
Full ReviewWhy Nations Fail : The Origin...