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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.

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    China’s Short-Sighted AI Regulation

    Angela Huyue Zhang assesses a recent court ruling allowing copyright protection for content generated by artificial intelligence.
  2. loukides1_Stanislav KogikuSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_AI Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    AI’s Copyright Problem Is Fixable

    Mike Loukides & Tim O'Reilly show how to trace the provenance of generative models’ output and compensate human authors accordingly.
  3. rodrik217_David McNewGetty Images_jobs David McNew/Getty Images
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    Better Jobs Mean Better Development

    Dani Rodrik shows why rich and poor countries alike will have to enhance employment and productivity in service sectors.
  4. gorodnichenko9_Metin AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_destroyed russian tanks Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    Russian Revanchism Must Be Defeated in Ukraine

    Yuriy Gorodnichenko & Ilona Sologoub say that political infighting in the West is empowering the Kremlin and its allies.
  5. op_frenkel1_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_fed MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
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    The World Needs a Humble Approach to Central Banking

    Jacob Frenkel, et al.

    As advanced-economy central bankers assess their recent policy responses, failures, and lessons learned, they should recognize where others got it right and where they got it wrong. Humility requires nothing less.

     explain why monetary policymakers must accept a deliberately narrow mandate.
  6. bp populism Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
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    Whac-A-Populist

    Though Polish voters in October ousted their right-wing populist government, recent elections in Slovakia and the Netherlands show that populism remains as malign and potent a political force as ever in Europe. But these outcomes also hold important lessons for the United States, where the specter of Donald Trump’s return to the White House haunts the runup to the 2024 presidential election.

  7. ocampo53_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_world banks MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
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    The Global Economy’s Unsolved Problems

    José Antonio Ocampo offers a sobering assessment of multilateral efforts to tackle debt, development, climate change, and more.
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    Digital Payments Hold the Key to Climate Resilience

    Benjamin E. Diokno urges policymakers and the private sector to embrace the transformative potential of emerging technologies.
  9. azevedo2_CARL DE SOUZAAFP via Getty Images_amazon CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images
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    Pulling the Amazon Back from the Brink

    Carlos Nobre & Marielos Peña-Claros urge policymakers at COP28 to prevent the world’s largest rainforest from crossing perilous tipping points.

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