120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

🌸 Our Spring Sale is here! Save on Books, Toys, & Puzzles! With overnight NZ-wide delivery πŸŽ‰

Why Nations Fail

FROM THE WINNERS OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty
4.09 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 60,199 ratings, 5,619 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Why Nations Fail explores the political and economic factors that drive the success or failure of nations. The authors argue that inclusive institutions fostering innovation and participation lead to prosperity, while extractive institutions serving the few result in poverty and stagnation. Through historical examples, they demonstrate how political power shapes economic outcomes, defining the paths countries take.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3699
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're interested in exploring the complex interplay between economics and political structures and how these factors contribute to the success or failure of nations. It's an enlightening read for those curious about the historical and institutional reasons behind the disparities in global development and prosperity.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A provocative bestseller that explains why the world is divided into nations with wildly differing levels of prosperity.

A provocative bestseller that explains why the world is divided into nations with wildly differing levels of prosperity

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Why are some nations more prosperous than others? Why Nations Fail sets out to answer this question, with a compelling and elegantly argued new theory: that it is not down to climate, geography or culture, but because of institutions.

Drawing on an extraordinary range of contemporary and historical examples, from ancient Rome through the Tudors to modern-day China, leading academics Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson show that to invest and prosper, people need to know that if they work hard, they can make money and actually keep it– and this means sound institutions that allow virtuous circles of innovation, expansion, and peace.

Based on fifteen years of research, and answering the competing arguments of authors ranging from Max Weber to Jeffrey Sachs and Jared Diamond, Acemoglu and Robinson step boldly into the territory of Francis Fukuyama and Ian Morris. They blend economics, politics, history, and current affairs to provide a new, powerful and persuasive way of understanding wealth and poverty.

They offer a pragmatic basis for the hope that at 'critical junctures' in history, those mired in poverty can be placed on the path to prosperity–with important consequences for our views on everything from the role of aid to the future of China.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson is widely praised for its engaging exploration of why some countries prosper while others do not. The authors, considered leading experts in their field, argue that institutionsβ€”more than geography or cultureβ€”are crucial to economic success. Reviewers highlight the book's compelling insights, its use of historical examples, and its ability to maintain reader interest while elaborating on complex socio-political theories.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846684302

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 February 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Profile Books Ltd

Edition: Main

Illustration: 16pp mono plate section

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 36.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 455g

Pages: 544

About the Author

Daron Acemoglu is the Killian Professor of Economics at MIT and recipient of the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal.

James A. Robinson is a political scientist and economist and the David Florence Professor of Government at Harvard University, and a world-renowned expert on Latin America and Africa.

They are the authors of Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, which won numerous prizes.

Also by Daron Acemoglu

View all
  • The Narrow Corridor
    The internationally bestselling authors of Why Nations Fail explore how different societies develop, resolve, or fail to resolve, conflicts. Based on decades of research, the authors present a powerful new big-picture framework in The Narrow Corridor. They explain how some countries progress towards and provide liberty, while others descend into despotism, anarchy, or are suffocated by norms. The book reveals...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3200
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Why Nations Fail
    NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER - From two winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, β€œwho have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity”. β€œA wildly ambitious work that hopscotches through history and around the world to answer the very big question of why some countries get rich and others don’t.”—The New...
    Paperback
    $6200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • What Happened to Liberal Democracy?
    Shared prosperity, equality, democratic values and the free pursuit of knowledge. Liberalism promised much, and even delivered on some of those promises. But now the remaining relics of establishment liberalism are being eroded by elitism, intolerance and rising autocracy. What went wrong? And what comes next? Liberalism flourished as the underdog in a sea of competing political ideologies. But once...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Power and Progress
    WINNERS OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE FOR ECONOMICS LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTED FOR THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE A FINANCIAL TIMES TECHNOLOGY BOOK OF THE YEAR UPDATED WITH A NEW PREFACE 'The blueprint we need for the challenges ahead' β€” Shoshana Zuboff 'If you are not...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Power and Progress
    Throughout history, technological changeβ€”whether in the form of agricultural improvements in the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, or today's artificial intelligenceβ€”has been viewed as a main driver of prosperity, working in the public interest. The reality, though, is that technology is shaped by what powerful people want and believe, generating riches, social respect, cultural prominence, and further political voice for...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • What Happened to Liberal Democracy?
    A very important work and a must-read THOMAS PIKETTY, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century A thoughtful proposed solution to the most important question of modern democracy JARED DIAMOND, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel Brilliant and insightful, a tour de force that left me feeling more optimistic about the future than I have in a long time STEVEN...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

Also by James A. Robinson

View all
  • The Narrow Corridor
    The internationally bestselling authors of Why Nations Fail explore how different societies develop, resolve, or fail to resolve, conflicts. Based on decades of research, the authors present a powerful new big-picture framework in The Narrow Corridor. They explain how some countries progress towards and provide liberty, while others descend into despotism, anarchy, or are suffocated by norms. The book reveals...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3200
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Why Nations Fail
    NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER - From two winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, β€œwho have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity”. β€œA wildly ambitious work that hopscotches through history and around the world to answer the very big question of why some countries get rich and others don’t.”—The New...
    Paperback
    $6200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Education & Reference

View all
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' β€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' β€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' β€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Maori Made Easy Workbook 1/Kete 1
    Maori Made Easy Workbook 1/Kete 1 by Scotty Morrison is the ultimate companion for anyone eager to learn the beautiful and complex Maori language. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to brush up on your skills, this workbook offers a structured and engaging way to immerse yourself in te reo Maori. Designed to be accessible regardless of your starting...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 2027 Witch's Diary - Southern Hemisphere
    From the bestselling authors of Spellcasting, which has now sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, comes the essential witchy journal to plan your days, harness magick, and connect with higher powers. Features include: 8" x 6" (8" x 12" open) Beautiful glossy gold gatefold cover Compact size, perfect to carry in your bag and keep on you throughout the day 12-month...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Maori Made Easy Workbook 2/Kete 2
    Immerse yourself in the richness of the Māori language with Maori Made Easy Workbook 2/Kete 2 by renowned TV personality and passionate te reo Māori advocate, Scotty Morrison. This comprehensive workbook is designed to cater to learners of all levels, making the beautiful language of the Māori people accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Building on the successful approach of the...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Farm
    The Farm is a lyrical and entertaining journey to the heart of rural life in New Zealand from one of our greatest living writers. When Bruce Ansley visited a friend on a sheep farm on Banks Peninsula, they pointed out a property for sale, down by the water. Down a drive curving through sycamores, oaks, and rhododendrons, there was a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Roadmap to Property Success
    Ready to ditch the 9-to-5 and build lasting wealth through property? In Roadmap to Property Success, seasoned investor and coach Steve Goodey shares the exact strategies that helped him – and thousands of Kiwis – build sustainable property portfolios from scratch. With real-life lessons, hard-won wisdom, and zero sugar-coating, this is your no-BS guide to property investing in New Zealand....
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    Go Hard or Go Home
    From the front bench to rock bottom:Β Go Hard or Go HomeΒ is Kiri Allan's fearless memoir of ambition, disruption and survival in NZ politics and beyond. Kiri Allan's six-year political career spanned some of the most challenging times in recent history. Events a government might encounter once in a generation stacked up: a terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, destructive and deadly...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Regime Change
    From the two reporters who have covered him more closely than perhaps anyone else over the past decade comes this definitive portrait of Donald Trump in the White House and the first year of his second presidency. Based on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented reporting from deep within the administration’s most closely guarded rooms, Regime Change takes the reader into...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • I Eat the Stars
    FromΒ New York TimesΒ bestselling author and journalist Sarah Wilson comes a deeply moving, wise guide to finding joy and meaning in a world that seems to be falling apart. It’s hard to escape the feeling that something is deeplyΒ wrongΒ . . . that life has become precariously off-balance. We are hit hourly with headlines about catastrophic wildfires, unprecedented flooding, record heat waves,...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.