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Between the Scylla of despotism and the Charybdis of social norms (On the book by D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson “Narrow corridor: States, societies and the fate of freedom”)
https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2020-1-145-156
Abstract
Why is it that in the history of mankind the economic prosperity of countries, and even over a relatively long time interval, is quite rare? Aсemoglu and Robinson (AR) proposed a fresh look at the problem in their new book “Narrow corridor: States, societies and the fate of freedom”. Here we examine the main elements of the conceptual framework in which different countries are located on a few subsets — despotic, constrained, absent, paper Leviathan — and also the transition of a country from one subset to another based on the application of the “Red Queen effect” is explained. We evaluate the explanatory potential of the heuristic model of AR in comparison with the approach of North, Wallis and Weingast to the study of social orders of limited and open access. Critical comments on the presented concept are formulated.
About the Author
A. E. Shastitko
Lomonosov Moscow State University;
Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
References
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Review
For citations:
Shastitko A.E. Between the Scylla of despotism and the Charybdis of social norms (On the book by D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson “Narrow corridor: States, societies and the fate of freedom”). Voprosy Ekonomiki. 2020;(1):145-156. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2020-1-145-156
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