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What Countries Are Analyzed In 'Why Nations Fail'?

2025-07-01 13:10:39
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3 Answers

Yolanda
Yolanda
When I read ‘Why Nations Fail’ by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, what first grabbed me was how unexpected examples were chosen to support their theory against conventional wisdom that has been imbued in us for so long. South Korea did not fail after the war due to the circumstances of the war, but because of certain institutional choices that were made at the time. Similarly, in Africa, they choose to discuss Botswana’s success instead of that of Nigeria or even Zimbabwe with its failed land reform.

While there is plenty here about all sorts of modern countries, the historical sections are just as valuable, and they range far and wide: from the surprising collapse of once-great Venice, to the step-by-step erosion of Rome’s republican government and its transformation into an empire. Connecting all of this to modern developing countries, the authors make clear just how the long-ago extractive practices of a very few in powerful positions in places like ancient Rome or the colonies of Spain (notably the silver mines in South America) can have a profound and lasting impact on the politics of Latin America today.
2025-07-06
Charlotte
Charlotte
'Why Nations Fail' is a book that spans the globe and centuries of history to prove one core point about institutions. The authors compare and contrast a string of neighboring countries including South Korea and North Korea, Mexico and the US, and Botswana and Zimbabwe – and find that even the tiniest difference in colonial history can create huge differences in terms of economic and human development.

They compare European nations such as England and Spain, with a detailed account of the difference that colonial history made for the territories that Spain colonies in the Americas. They also contrast the Ottoman Empire’s extractive institutions with those of innovative, open Dutch Republic in the 17th century. Several sub-Saharan African countries are studied as well, including Sierra Leone and the Congo, where post-independence development was stymied by a few powerful, extractive elites.

The most compelling examples however are found in the simple arrangements of institutions in relation to geography and culture on the same side of a political or physical divide. Thus for example Nogales, Arizona is one of the wealthiest cities per capita in the United States whereas Nogales, Sonora is one of the poorest cities in the world. The 38th parallel in Korea is another compelling example. Despite virtually identical geography and culture on either side of the line, the political systems established in the years following independence determined that North Koreans would experience very poor outcomes while people just a few miles south would enjoy some of the world’s greatest economic success.
2025-07-07
Valeria
Valeria
I just finished reading Why Nations Fail by Econ100 prof, and the countries he analyzed were a mix of countries that were sort of successful and others that failed horribly. He compared the US and UK to extractive regimes in countries such as North Korea and Sierra Leone, and then in even greater depth contrasted Botswana’s institutions with those in Zimbabwe under Mugabe. He also went into great depth discussing Latin America, comparing and contrasting Mexico’s weaknesses with Colombia’s drug cartels. He also discussed the economies of Middle East countries including Egypt under Mubarak and traced the roots of their problems back to the Ottoman Empire and how the colonial legacies in Africa and South America have continued to affect the countries for centuries.
2025-07-07

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