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

Political Losers as Barriers to Economic Development

Citation Robinson, James A, and Daron Acemoglu. 2000. “Political Losers as Barriers to Economic Development”. American Economic Review 90:126-130. Download (PDF) Political Losers as Barriers to Economic Development

Is Child Labor Inefficient?

Citation Robinson, James A, and Jean-Marie Baland. 2000. “Is Child Labor Inefficient?”. Journal of Political Economy 108:663-679. Download (PDF) Is Child Labor Inefficient? Abstract We build a model of child labor and study its implications for welfare. We assume that...

Democratization or Repression?

Citation Robinson, James A, and Daron Acemoglu. 2000. “Democratization or Repression?”. European Economic Review 44:683-693. Download (PDF) Democratization or Repression? Abstract Regimes controlled by a rich elite often collapse and make way for democracy amidst...

Dynamic Contractual Enforcement: A Model of Strikes

Citation Robinson, James A. 1999. “Dynamic Contractual Enforcement: A Model of Strikes”. International Economic Review 40:209-230. Download (PDF) Dynamic Contractual Enforcement: A Model of Strikes

Theories of “Bad Policy”

Citation Robinson, James A. 1998. “Theories of "Bad Policy"”. Policy Reform 1:1-46. Download (PDF) Theories of "Bad Policy"

Rent Appropriation and Sustained Growth

Citation Robinson, James A. 1996. “Rent Appropriation and Sustained Growth”. Economic Letters 50:71-77. Download (PDF) Rent Appropriation and Sustained Growth Abstract This paper demonstrates that the introduction of imperfect competition into the labor market can...

The Political Agenda Effect and State Centralization

Citation “The Political Agenda Effect and State Centralization.” (joint with Daron Acemoglu, MIT and Ragnar Torvik, Trondheim), NBER Working Paper #22250, submitted to AER: Insights. Download (PDF) The Political Agenda Effect and State Centralization Abstract We...