📚 6 Books mentioned in "Nobel Laureate Daron Acemoglu on Economics, Politics, and Power (REPLAY) | People I (Mostly) Admire" of People I (Mostly) Admire

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.

In this episode of the podcast, host Steve Levitt introduces Daron Acemoglu, highlighting his co-authorship of the notable book 'Power and Progress' along with his distinguished career in economics.

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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.

In this segment, podcast host Steve Levitt introduces the book 'Power and Progress' by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson. He highlights the book's focus on technology and prosperity, noting that it presents conclusions that differ from the common expectations surrounding economic discussions.

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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 important.

The podcast host, Steve Levitt, mentions 'Power and Progress' as a book authored by Daron Acemoglu for the listeners who want to explore Daron's ideas further as the conclusion for the podcast.

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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.

In this episode, podcast host Steve Levitt introduces Daron Acemoglu as the co-author of the impactful book 'Why Nations Fail.' Acemoglu is recognized as an esteemed professor of economics at MIT and is noted for his influential writings aimed at a general audience.

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Okay, so back in 2012, you and James Robinson published a book called 'Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.' I remember at the time thinking it took a lot of audacity to tackle a topic that was so huge and so fundamental and so complex that it wasn't likely to have an easy answer.

In this segment, Steve Levitt discusses the book 'Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty,' co-authored by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. He reflects on the boldness required to address such a vast and complex subject during their publication in 2012.

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You give fascinating examples in the book 'Why Nations Fail,' like there was this guy named William Lee who invented something called a stocking frame that dramatically sped up the rate at which people could knit, and one would expect this guy would get a hero's welcome. But you tell the story in the book that it was quite the opposite.

In the podcast, Steve Levitt discusses 'Why Nations Fail,' highlighting a story about William Lee, who invented a stocking frame that significantly increased knitting efficiency, yet did not receive the hero's welcome one might expect.

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Living in the United States in the 21st century, it seems normal, almost inevitable, that there's rule of law, that there are property rights, that there's democracy, but looking back over human history—and I hadn't really fully understood this till I read 'Why Nations Fail'—not only are all of these pretty rare, but the set of circumstances that led to rule of law and property rights and democracy taking hold first in England and then spreading actually seems somewhat miraculous: that at some point early on an autocrat didn't stop the whole process, derail it, and go back to this central control of all the assets.

In this episode, host Steve Levitt reflects on how reading 'Why Nations Fail' has reshaped his understanding of the historical rarity of rule of law, property rights, and democracy.

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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 important.

In this segment, podcast host Steve Levitt recommends the book 'Why Nations Fail' by Daron Acemoglu for listeners who want deeper insights into Acemoglu's ideas, concluding this episode with his enthusiastic endorsement.

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