James A. Robinson

Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor and University Professor; Institute Director of The Pearson Institute

Publications

The Political Economy of Latin America: New Visions

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...

Africa’s Latent Assets

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...

How Different Social Scientists Think

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,...

The Weak State Trap

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...

Beyond Modernization Theory

Citation Acemoglu, Daron, and James A Robinson. 2018. "Beyond Modernization Theory." Annals of Comparative Democratization 16(3): 26-31. Download (PDF) Beyond Modernization Theory