Citation “The Political Economy of Latin America: New Visions,” with José Luis Falconi (2021). Working Paper. Download (PDF) The Political Economy of Latin America: New Visions Abstract Latin American under-development has been fundamentally determined by a political...

Citation “Culture, Institutions and Social Equilibria: A Framework,” with Daron Acemoglu (2024). Working Paper Download (PDF) Culture, Institutions, and Social Equilibria: A Framework Abstract This paper proposes a new framework for studying the interplay between...

Citation “Africa's Latent Assets,” with Soeren Henn (2021). Working Paper. Download (PDF) Africa's Latent Assets Abstract Despite the past centuries’ economic setbacks and challenges, are there reasons for optimism about Africa’s economic prospects? We provide a...

Citation “Trust in State and Non-State Actors: Evidence from Dispute Resolution in Pakistan,” with Daron Acemoglu, MIT, Ali Cheema, LUMS, and Asim Khwaja (Harvard), NBDER Working Paper #24611, forthcoming in the Journal of Political Economy. Download (PDF) Trust in...

Download (PDF) How Different Social Scientists Think Abstract I illustrate how, based on my personal experience, different social scientists would study the same question. I argue that each brings different paradigms, perspectives, preconceptions and methodologies,...

Citation Fergusson, Leopoldo, Carlos A. Molina and James A. Robinson. Working Paper. “The Weak State Trap”. Download (PDF) The Weak State Trap Abstract Development outcomes come in ‘clusters’ that seem difficult to exit. Using original data from Colombia, we present...