Barry R. Weingast Recommends “Economic Backwardness in Political Perspective” by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

Abstract

This paper is one of my favorites in the extensive and powerful Acemoglu and Robinson (AR) et al. corpus. Although it is not among their most recognized works, it deserves greater attention. This paper demonstrates the power of the political economics approach, especially how political institutions directly influence economic development.