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James A. Robinson

James A. Robinson

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James A. Robinson, Institute Director of the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts, is University Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He is the co-author (with Daron Acemoglu) of The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty, and Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.

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  1. Why Taiwan Matters
    acemoglu51_ Central News AgencyHandoutGetty Images_pelositaiwan Central News Agency/Handout/Getty Images

    Why Taiwan Matters

    Aug 9, 2022 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson see the island as evidence against culturally deterministic explanations of authoritarianism and democracy.

  2. Why Trumpian Populism Failed
    jarobinson7_Joe RaedleGetty Images_trump cpac rally Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Why Trumpian Populism Failed

    Mar 9, 2021 James A. Robinson shows how US democratic institutions prevailed, and why they remain vulnerable to wannabe autocrats.

  3. How to Stem Ukraine’s Corruption
    acemoglu11_Spencer PlattGetty Images_ukrainegirlflowerstape Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How to Stem Ukraine’s Corruption

    Oct 14, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson show that it takes a society-wide effort for countries to escape the grip of kleptocratic institutions.

  4. The Constitution Won’t Save American Democracy
    acemoglu10_Brendan SmialowskiGetty Images_constitution Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

    The Constitution Won’t Save American Democracy

    Sep 24, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson argue that only social mobilization can remove the threat President Donald Trump poses to US institutions.

  5. Istanbul Shows How Democracy Is Won
    acemoglu8_ Burak KaraGetty Images_imamoglu istanbul Burak Kara/Getty Images

    Istanbul Shows How Democracy Is Won

    Jun 25, 2019 Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson draw lessons from the opposition's victory over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian party.

  1. brown111_ALAIN JOCARDPOOLAFP via Getty Images_mpox ALAIN JOCARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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    The High Cost of the Netherlands’ Mpox Vaccine Hoarding

    Gordon Brown condemns European populists’ failure to heed the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. charap3_ TATYANA MAKEYEVAAFP via Getty Images)_kursk TATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP via Getty Images)
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    How to Make the Most of the Kursk Gambit

    Samuel Charap & Charles A. Kupchan think Ukraine and its partners have a big opportunity to start working toward a negotiated end to the war.
  3. leonard104_SurkovDimitriGetty Images_USEUflag SurkovDimitri/Getty Images
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    The US Election Will Overturn Europe’s Strategic Status Quo

    Mark Leonard worries that Europeans are unprepared for whoever will succeed US President Joe Biden.
  4. mazzucato71 GettyImages-2159148172_AW Getty Images
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    The Water-Security Crisis

    Mariana Mazzucato, et al.

    Increasingly severe water shortages represent a human-made crisis that can be resolved through human interventions. The situation demands new thinking about the economics of this critical resource and how to manage it through mission-oriented strategies that span all levels of governance.

     call attention to a global problem that demands far more attention from policymakers at all levels.
  5. reyna1_Martin Schuttpicture alliance via Getty Images_ev green deal Martin Schutt/picture alliance via Getty Images
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    The European Green Deal Is Already Benefiting Consumers

    Agustín Reyna rejects the misguided notion that voters are indifferent to environmental concerns.
  6. bremmer34_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_harrissouthkorea Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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    What Is Kamala Harris’s Foreign Policy?

    Ian Bremmer

    Although Kamala Harris is largely aligned with Joe Biden on many global and strategic issues, her unique worldview promises a distinct form of leadership on the international stage. Not only would US foreign policy shift under a Harris administration; it could change in highly consequential ways.

     considers how the Democratic presidential nominees' views compare to Joe Biden's.
  7. anheier25_JOHN MACDOUGALLAFP via Getty Images_afd JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
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    Will the German Center Hold?

    Helmut K. Anheier considers what is driving support for extremist parties in the country’s eastern states.
  8. delong263_MEGAN JELINGERAFP via Getty Images_USindustrysteel Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images
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    America Has No Alternative to Industrial Policy

    J. Bradford DeLong thinks new threats to economic security outweigh the reasons for opposing government-led development.
  9. nye261_Kevin DietschGetty Images_us election Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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    US Foreign Policy in 2025

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. compares the two presidential candidates’ attitudes and positions on major global issues.

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