James A. Robinson
University Professor; Harris School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science, University of Chicago; Recipient of the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Publications
The Breakdown of the English Society of Orders: The Role of the Industrial Revolution
Citation Cara Ebert, Leander Heldring, James A. Robinson, Sebastian Vollmer, "The Breakdown of the English Society of Orders: The Role of the Industrial Revolution," (2025) Working Paper. Download (PDF) The Breakdown of the English Society of Orders: The Role of the...
The Persistence of Female Political Power in Africa
Citation Siwan Anderson, Sophia Du Plessis, Sahar Parsa, and James A. Robinson, "The Persistence of Female Political Power in Africa," (2025) Working Paper. Download (PDF) The Persistence of Female Political Power in Africa Abstract Research on female political...
Paths to the Periphery
Citation James A. Robinson, “Paths to the Periphery,” (2025) Working Paper. Download (PDF) Paths to the Periphery Abstract My research suggests that world inequality is explained by the incidence of extractive and inclusive institutions. But why do some countries...
Fear and Dreams: Understanding the Non-Institutional Sources of Leader Strategy
Citation Bautista, Maria, Juan Sebastián Galán, James Robinson, Rafael F. Torres, and Ragnar Torvik. “Fear and Dreams: Understanding the Non-Institutional Sources of Leader Strategy," (2024) Working Paper. Download (PDF) Fear and Dreams: Understanding the...
Introduction: The Deliberative Roots and Gender Complementarity in Igbo Political System
Citation Korieh, Chima, Maria Bautista, and James Robinson. “Introduction: The Deliberative Roots and Gender Complementarity in Igbo Political System" Ikenga International Journal of Institute of African Studies. 24, no. 3. (2023): 1-14. Download (PDF) Introduction:...
The Economic Effects of the English Parliamentary Enclosures
Citation “The Economic Effects of the English Parliamentary Enclosures” with Leander Heldring and Sebastian Vollmer (2024). Working Paper. Download (PDF) The Economic Effects of the English Parliamentary Enclosures Download Appendix (PDF) The Economic Effects of the...
Anti-Social Norms
Citation “Anti-Social Norms” with Leopoldo Fergusson and José-Alberto Guerra (2024). Working Paper. Download (PDF) Anti-Social Norms Download Appendix (PDF) Anti-Social Norms Appendix Abstract Since formal rules can only partially reduce opportunistic behavior,...
Constitutions and Order: A Theory and Comparative Evidence from Colombia and the United States
Citation “Constitutions and Order: A Theory and Comparative Evidence from Colombia and the United States” with Leopoldo Fergusson, Javier Mejia, and Santiago Torres (2023). Working Paper. Download (PDF) Constitutions and Order: A Theory and Comparative Evidence from...
Missing Discussions: Institutional Constraints in the Islamic Political Tradition
Citation "Missing Discussions: Institutional Constraints in the Islamic Political Tradition" with A. Arda Gitmez and Mehdi Shadmehr (2023). Working Paper. Download (PDF) Missing Discussions: Institutional Constraints in the Islamic Political Tradition Download...
African Political Institutions and the Impact of Colonialism
Citation “African Political Institutions and the Impact of Colonialism” (2022). Working Paper. Download (PDF) African Political Institutions and the Impact of Colonialism Abstract Conventional wisdom proposes deep historical roots for authoritarianism in Africa:...