In the Narrow Corridor, You're Very Critical of the Indian Caste System

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In the narrow corridor, you're very critical of the indian caste system. But if i jis do simple comp rative analysis, india is wealthier than either pakeston or bangladesh,. which are largely moslem, don't have a formal cast system. Why isn't the difference between guatemala and costarica mostly a matter of ethnicity and not so much a matter of the differential history of coffee plantations? Isn't that the more economical theory that also explains distribution of income within each country?

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.

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Recorded October 25th, 2019 Other ways to connect

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