Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty

Copyright
Contents
Preface
1 So Close and Yet So Different
	The Economics of the Rio Grande
	The Founding of Buenos Aires
	From Cajamarca . . .
	. . . To Jamestown
	A Tale of Two Constitutions
	Having an Idea, Starting a Firm, and Getting a Loan
	Path-Dependent Change
	Making a Billion or Two
	Toward a Theory of World Inequality
2 Theories That Don’t Work
	The Lay of the Land
	The Geography Hypothesis
	The Culture Hypothesis
	The Ignorance Hypothesis
3 The Making of Prosperity and Poverty
	The Economics of the 38th Parallel
	Extractive and Inclusive Economic Institutions
	Engines of Prosperity
	Extractive and Inclusive Political Institutions
	Why Not Always Choose Prosperity?
	The Long Agony of the Congo
	Growth Under Extractive Political Institutions
4 Small Differences and Critical Junctures: The Weight of History
	The World the Plague Created
	The Making of Inclusive Institutions
	Small Differences That Matter
	The Contingent Path of History
	Understanding the Lay of the Land
5 “I’ve Seen the Future, and It Works”: Growth Under Extractive Institutions
	I’ve Seen the Future
	On the Banks of the Kasai
	The Long Summer
	The Unstable Extraction
	What Goes Wrong?
6 Drifting Apart
	How Venice Became a Museum
	Roman Virtues . . .
	. . . Roman Vices
	No One Writes from Vindolanda
	Diverging Paths
	Consequences of Early Growth
7 The Turning Point
	Trouble with Stockings
	Ever-Present Political Conflict
	The Glorious Revolution
	The Industrial Revolution
	Why in England?
8 Not on Our Turf: Barriers to Development
	No Printing Allowed
	A Small Difference That Mattered
	Fear of Industry
	No Shipping Allowed
	The Absolutism of Prester John
	The Children of Samaale
	Enduring Backwardness
9 Reversing Development
	Spice and Genocide
	The All-Too-Usual Institution
	Making a Dual  Economy
	Development Reversed
10 The Diffusion of Prosperity
	Honor Among Thieves
	Breaking the Barriers: The French Revolution
	Exporting the Revolution
	Seeking Modernity
	Roots of World Inequality
11 The Virtuous Circle
	The Black Act
	The Slow March of Democracy
	Busting Trusts
	Packing the Court
	Positive Feedback and Virtuous Circles
12 The Vicious Circle
	You Can’t Take the Train to Bo Anymore
	From Encomienda to Land Grab
	From Slavery to Jim Crow
	The Iron Law of Oligarchy
	Negative Feedback and Vicious Circles
13 Why Nations Fail Today
	How to Win the Lottery in Zimbabwe
	A Children’s Crusade?
	Who Is the State?
	El Corralito
	The New Absolutism
	King Cotton
	Keeping the Playing Field at an Angle
	Why Nations Fail
14 Breaking the Mold
	Three African Chiefs
	The End of the Southern Extraction
	Rebirth in China
15 Understanding Prosperity and Poverty
	Historical Origins
	The Irresistible Charm of Authoritarian Growth
	You Can’t Engineer Prosperity
	The Failure of Foreign Aid
	Empowerment
Acknowledgments
Bibliographical Essay and Sources
References
Index