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Indirect Rule and State Weakness in Africa : Sierra Leone in Comparative Perspective

Acemoglu, Daron; Chaves, Isaías N.; Robinson, James A.; … - 2014

A fundamental problem for economic development is that most poor countries have 'weak state' which are incapable or unwilling to provide basic public goods such as law enforcement, order, education and infrastructure. In Africa this is often attributed to the persistence of 'indirect rule' from...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012458573

When is Democracy an Equilibrium? : Theory and Evidence from Colombia's "La Violencia"

Chacon, Mario - 2006

The conventional wisdom in political science is that for a democracy to be consolidated, all groups must have a chance to attain power. If they do not then they will subvert democracy and choose to fight for power. In this paper we show that this wisdom is seriously incomplete because it...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012465870

Africa's Latent Assets

Henn, Soeren J.; Robinson, James A. - National Bureau of Economic Research - 2021

Despite the past centuries' economic setbacks and challenges, are there reasons for optimism about Africa's economic prospects? We provide a conceptual framework and empirical evidence that show how the nature of African society has led to three sets of unrecognized "latent assets." First,...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012496157

Persistence of Power, Elites and Institutions

Acemoglu, Daron; Robinson, James A. - 2006

nondemocracy to democracy, alters the distribution of de jure political power, but the elite can intensify their investments in de … facto political power, such as lobbying or the use of paramilitary forces, to partially or fully offset their loss of de … we refer to as invariance. When the model is enriched to allow for limits on the exercise of de facto power by the elite …

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012466560

The Emergence of Weak, Despotic and Inclusive States

Acemoglu, Daron; Robinson, James A. - 2017

) and civil society (representing non-elite citizens), where both players can invest to increase their power. The model …

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012455025

Chiefs : Elite Control of Civil Society and Economic Development in Sierra Leone

Acemoglu, Daron; Robinson, James A.; Reed, Tristan - 2013

The lowest level of government in sub-Saharan Africa is often a cadre of chiefs who raise taxes, control the judicial system and allocate the most important scarce resource - land. Chiefs, empowered by colonial indirect rule, are often accused of using their power despotically and inhibiting...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012459974

The Second World War, Inequality and the Social Contract in England

Heldring, Leander; Robinson, James A.; Whitfill, Parker J. - National Bureau of Economic Research - 2022

What is the impact of warfare on inequality and the social contract? Using local data on bombing, the evolution of wealth inequality and vote shares for the Labour Party in England around World War II we establish two results. First, on average, we find no impact of bombing on inequality....

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012814452

The Rise of Europe : Atlantic Trade, Institutional Change and Economic Growth

Acemoglu, Daron; Robinson, James A.; Johnson, Simon - 2002

This paper documents that the Rise of (Western) Europe between 1500 and 1850 is largely accounted for by the growth of European nations with access to the Atlantic, and especially by those nations that engaged in colonialism and long distance oceanic trade. Moreover, Atlantic ports grew much...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012469325

Finding Eldorado : Slavery and Long-run Development in Colombia

Acemoglu, Daron; García Jimeno, Camilo; Robinson, James A. - 2012

Slavery has been a major institution of labor coercion throughout history. Colonial societies used slavery intensively across the Americas, and slavery remained prevalent in most countries after independence from the European powers. We investigate the impact of slavery on long-run development...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012460483

The Myth of the Frontier

García Jimeno, Camilo; Robinson, James A. - 2009

One of the most salient explanations for the distinctive path of economic and political development of the United States is captured by the 'Frontier (or Turner) thesis'. Turner argued that it was the presence of the open frontier which explained why the United States became democratic and, at...

Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012463873