Book · 2023 · Political Science
Power and Progress
Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
Why people recommend it
Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson is a sweeping economic history examining a thousand-year struggle over technology, prosperity, and the unequal distribution of gains between elites and the broader workforce. On People I (Mostly) Admire, podcast host Steve Levitt repeatedly recommended the book alongside the authors' earlier work, Why Nations Fail, for listeners seeking a deeper understanding of economic policy and technological development. During his interviews, Levitt engaged with the core thesis of the book, which argues that technological progress does not automatically benefit all of society. Instead, he highlighted the numerous historical examples documented by Acemoglu and Johnson where technological advances generated immense wealth that was largely captured by a small set of elites, leaving ordinary citizens no better off. Levitt also underscored the vital role that property rights and societal institutions play in ensuring that the dividends of innovation are shared more equitably. By bringing attention to this perspective, Levitt positioned Power and Progress as a crucial antidote to the naive assumption that technological growth inherently leads to shared human prosperity. The discussions on the podcast emphasize that public policy and societal choices ultimately determine whether technological revolutions empower the many or enrich only the few.
Who recommended it
- Steve Levitt Recommended
- Adam Davidson Discussed
- Stephen Dubner Discussed
- Daron Acemoglu Discussed
Steve Levitt — 8 mentions
“I want to talk about your most recent book it's co-authored with Simon Johnson and it's called power and progress came out in May of 2023”
“I want to talk about your most recent book; it's co-authored with Simon Johnson, and it's called 'Power and Progress,' which came out in May of 2023. So this is a book about technology and prosperity, and it comes to a very different conclusion than most people would expect from economists as authors.”
“if you want more of donon aim mogo's thinking my two favorite books of his are the ones we talked about today why Nations fail and his most recent book power and progress”
“If you want more of Daron Acemoglu’s thinking, my two favorite books of his are the ones we talked about today: 'Why Nations Fail' and his most recent book, 'Power and Progress.' And next week, we are back with a brand new episode featuring Richard Reeves; his research into the struggles of boys and men is stunning, sobering, and extremely”
“Another point that you make really forcefully in your book is the importance of property rights.”
“I want to talk about your most recent book; it's co-authored with Simon Johnson and it's called "Power and Progress," it came out in May of 2023.”
“You have a lot of examples in the book of technologies which create a lot of good, but almost all of that good is gobbled up by a set of elites, and it leaves the rest of society no better off.”
“If you want more of Daron Acemoglu's thinking, my two favorite books of his are the ones we talked about today: "Why Nations Fail" and his most recent book, "Power and Progress."”
Adam Davidson — 2 mentions
“Johnson co-wrote a book, 'Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle of Technology and Prosperity,' with another MIT economist, Daron Acemoglu. The question that they address in that book is a big one: why are some countries and some people rich while others are poor?”
“World War I illustrates what happens when a small group of supposed experts makes disastrous decisions, as highlighted in Simon Johnson and Daron Acemoglu's book 'Power and Progress,' which offers examples of how decisions taken with certain technologies have had unforeseen consequences for generations, both positive and negative.”
Stephen Dubner — 2 mentions
“he's got a forthcoming book called power and progress our 1 000 year struggle over technology and prosperity and I think he's starting to subscribe at least in part to this idea that the abundance mindset”
“He's got a forthcoming book called 'Power and Progress: Our 1,000-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity.'”
Daron Acemoglu — 1 mention
“The example that Simon and I give quite centrally in the book is Henry Ford's factories, which were at the forefront of automation.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“The economists Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson recently published a book on this theme called 'Power and Progress: Our 1000-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity.' And here's what they wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed: 'Tech giants like Microsoft and Alphabet, Google, have seized a large lead in shaping our potentially AI-dominated future.'”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“My guest today, Daron Acemoglu, is a professor of economics at MIT and co-author of a number of influential books written for a popular audience, including 'Why Nations Fail' and 'Power and Progress.' He is also, without a doubt, one of the greatest economists I have ever met.”
“and that's also what motivated my more recent book power and progress”
“My guest today, Daron Acemoglu, is a professor of Economics at MIT and co-author of a number of influential books written for a popular audience, including "Why Nations Fail" and "Power and Progress."”
“That's what triggered the "Why Nations Fail" book, which you have so kindly explained in such a masterly way, and that's also what motivated my more recent book "Power and Progress."”