From Big Brains December 02, 2019 Professor James Robinson Harris Public Policy Professor James Robinson was recently featured on Big Brains, discussing why some nations fall into poverty while others succeed – part of the question behind his two books cowritten with Daron Acemoglu, Why Nations Fail and the recently released The Narrow Corridor. "It’s a simple question to ask, but seems impossible to answer: What causes one nation to succeed and another to fail? What exactly are the origins of global inequality?" the show notes ask. "There are few people who have spent more time trying to answer this question than Prof. James Robinson. Robinson’ first book, Why Nations Fail, was an international best-seller. It laid out in clear and stark terms what the origins of prosperity and poverty really are. Now, he’s written a sequel, The Narrow Corridor, which further explains what ingredients you need to create a prosperous nation." Full coverage available at Big Brains. Upcoming Events More events Policy Research and Innovation Bootcamp (PRIB) Policy Hackathon Challenge Deep Dive Tue., February 10, 2026 | 12:00 PM Preparing for Harris: Teaching Assistantships Wed., February 11, 2026 | 8:30 AM Coffee Chat in Western Massachusetts Wed., February 11, 2026 | 9:00 AM Tunnel City Coffee 100 Spring St #102 Williamstown, MA 01267 United States
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