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James A. Robinson

James A. Robinson

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James A. Robinson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and Institute Director of the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts, is University Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He is the co-author (with Daron Acemoglu) of The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty, and Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.

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  1. Why Taiwan Matters
    acemoglu51_ Central News AgencyHandoutGetty Images_pelositaiwan Central News Agency/Handout/Getty Images

    Why Taiwan Matters

    Aug 9, 2022 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson see the island as evidence against culturally deterministic explanations of authoritarianism and democracy.

  2. Why Trumpian Populism Failed
    jarobinson7_Joe RaedleGetty Images_trump cpac rally Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Why Trumpian Populism Failed

    Mar 9, 2021 James A. Robinson shows how US democratic institutions prevailed, and why they remain vulnerable to wannabe autocrats.

  3. How to Stem Ukraine’s Corruption
    acemoglu11_Spencer PlattGetty Images_ukrainegirlflowerstape Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How to Stem Ukraine’s Corruption

    Oct 14, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson show that it takes a society-wide effort for countries to escape the grip of kleptocratic institutions.

  4. The Constitution Won’t Save American Democracy
    acemoglu10_Brendan SmialowskiGetty Images_constitution Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

    The Constitution Won’t Save American Democracy

    Sep 24, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson argue that only social mobilization can remove the threat President Donald Trump poses to US institutions.

  5. Istanbul Shows How Democracy Is Won
    acemoglu8_ Burak KaraGetty Images_imamoglu istanbul Burak Kara/Getty Images

    Istanbul Shows How Democracy Is Won

    Jun 25, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson draw lessons from the opposition's victory over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian party.

  1. jin26_Feng KaihuaXinhua via Getty Images_chinaarabinvestment Feng Kaihua/Xinhua via Getty Images
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    China Is Better Prepared Than America for a Divorce

    Keyu Jin shows how the country has been reorienting and even expanding its global economic footprint.
  2. jackowski1_Ricardo ArduengoGettyImages_florida_hurricane_destruction Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images
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    Digital Financial Inclusion Strengthens Climate Resilience

    Ellen Jackowski calls for reducing the number of unbanked people and building digital infrastructure in vulnerable communities.
  3. ito43_HandoutGettyImages_yoon_suk_yeol_impeachment Handout/Getty Images
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    The High Cost of South Korea’s Short-Lived Martial Law

    Takatoshi Ito

    Even as South Korea was plunged into political turmoil following the president’s short-lived declaration of martial law, financial markets have remained calm. But the country still has months of political uncertainty ahead, leaving it in a weak position to respond to US policy changes when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

     argues that while markets shrugged off the recent turmoil, the episode could have long-lasting consequences.
  4. castaneda91_AndalouGettyImages_mexico_immigration_enforcement Andalou/Getty Images
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    Did Mexico Help Trump Get Elected?

    Jorge G. Castañeda speculates that former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador used migration flows to influence the US election.
  5. chatoux1_Dilok KlaisatapornGetty Images_carbonremoval Dilok Klaisataporn/Getty Images
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    How the EU Can Scale Up Carbon Removal

    Ludovic Chatoux & Sophia Escheu urge European policymakers to use regulation to increase investment in this crucial green technology.
  6. bildt130_Andrew Caballero-ReynoldsGettyImages_syria_pedersen_un Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images
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    The Way Forward in Syria

    Carl Bildt urges all parties involved to support the political roadmap that the United Nations adopted in 2015.
  7. alvarado1_Marcos PinGettyImages_ecuador_crime_scene Marcos Pin/Getty Images
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    Crime Is Punishing Latin America’s Economies

    Nathalie Alvarado & Ana María Ibáñez explain how the problem acts as a tax on development – one that the region can no longer afford to pay.
  8. palacio164_GREG BAKERAFP via Getty Images_xichinesedream Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
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    China’s New Social Contract

    Ana Palacio highlights a fundamental shift in priorities brought about by slowing growth and changing public expectations.
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    The Energy Transition That Couldn’t

    Richard Haass & Carolyn Kissane

    Dominant intellectual frameworks persist until their limitations in describing reality become undeniable, paving the way for a new paradigm. The idea that the world can and will replace fossil fuels with renewables has reached that point.

     argue that replacing fossil fuels with renewables is an idea that has exhausted its utility.

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