Duron asamogle has advised a large number of successful students. What is your best piece of non obvious advice for advisers hoping to promote or somehow improve their students? I think advising students is a lot about a human relation, so understanding what it is that people really need at that point is really important. So i try to push my students. If they are tting overly confident about the quality of their paper, you really have to push them. No paper is perfect, and you can always do better.
What determines the economic, social, and political trajectories of nations? Why were settlers in colonies like Jamestown and Australia able to escape the extractive systems desired by their British masters, while colonial subjects in Barbados and Jamaica were not? In his latest book, Daron Acemoglu elevates the power of institutions over theories centering on human capital, culture, or geography. Institutions help strike the balance of power in the constant struggle between state and society, creating a ‘narrow corridor’ through which liberty and prosperity is achieved.
Daron joined Tyler for a conversation about drivers of economic growth, the economic causes and effects of democratization, how Germanic tribes introduced “bottom-up politics” to the Roman empire, the institutional reasons that China’s state capacity and control has increased with its wealth, his predictions for the future of liberty in his birth country of Turkey, the biggest challenges currently facing the Middle East, what we can learn from the example of Lagos, why publishing in the “top five” is overrated, tips on motivating graduate students, and more.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.
Recorded October 25th, 2019 Other ways to connect