Why Nations Fail Illustrated

The following slides were used for teaching first-year undergraduate students in Osaka University about Why Nations Fail, the 2012 book written by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.

While I believe that the book contains very important messages on the causes of economic prosperity or backwardness (which is why I've chosen to teach this book), the exposition of these messages in the book is probably not optimal.

Below is my attempt to improve the book's exposition by (1) re-ordering the sequence of chapters, (2) visualizing information as much as possible, and (3) providing supplementary academic information to understand the authors' argument better.

Chapters 2 and 15 are skipped except for the sections on China and Brazil in Chapter 15.

NOTE: Press SPACE key to go through slides.

Part I: How institutions affect economic prosperity

#1: Introduction

#2 (chapter 3): Inclusive vs Extractive Institutions

#3 (chapter 7): How inclusive institutions led to prosperity in England

#4 (chapter 8): How extractive institutions caused backwardness in various empires and Somalia

Part II: Origins of Inclusive Institutions until 19th century

#5 (chapter 4): Why England, not Spain?

#6 (chapter 1): Why North America, not Latin America?

#7 (chapter 10): Why Australia, France & Western Europe, and Japan?

Part III: Origins and Persistence of Extractive Institutions

#8 (chapter 9): Southeast Asian spice trade, the Slave Trade in Africa, and Apartheid in South Africa

#9 (chapter 12): Iron Law of Oligarchy (Guatemala, US South, Sierra Leone until the 1980s, Ethiopia)

#10 (chapter 13): Collapse of the State (Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone in the 1990s, Argentina, Colombia, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Egypt)

Part IV: Origins of Inclusive Institutions in 20th century

#11 (chapters 14-15): Botswana, US South, and Brazil

Part V: Survival of Inclusive Institutions

#12 (chapter 11): Britain and United States

#13 (chapter 6): Medieval Venice and Ancient Rome

Part VI: Prosperity under Extractive Institutions?

#14 (chapters 3, 5, 14-15): Economic Growth under Extractive Institutions won't last long (South Korea, Caribbean Islands in the 18th century, Soviet Union, Neolithic Revolution, Kuba Kingdom, Mayan city-states, and China since 1978)

#15: Term Paper Workshop