James A. Robinson
Institute Director of The Pearson Institute; Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor and 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
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:...
Tax Aversion and the Social Contract in Africa
Citation Robinson, James A. “Tax Aversion and the Social Contract in Africa." Journal of African Economies. 32, Issue Supplement_1, (2023): i33–i56. Download (PDF) Tax Aversion and the Social Contract in Africa Abstract Despite the low levels of taxation and public...
The Second World War, Inequality, and the Social Contract in Britain
Citation Heldring, Leander, James A. Robinson, and Parker Whitfill, “The Second World War, Inequality, and the Social Contract in Britain,” Economica, 89, no.1 (2022): 137-159 Download (PDF) The Second World War, Inequality and the Social Contract in Britain Abstract...