{{Short description|British political scientist and economist (born 1960)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Citation style|date=March 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = James Robinson
| image = James A. Robinson, 2024 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics 3 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Robinson at 2024 Nobel Week
| birth_name = James Alan Robinson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|2|27}}
| birth_place = [[Chelmsford]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| citizenship = [[United Kingdom]]<br>[[United States|American]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2024/summary |title=The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024 |publisher=Nobel Foundation |date=14 October 2024 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/14/three-us-based-professors-win-nobel-prize-in-economics-daron-acemoglu-simon-johnson-james-robinson- |title=Trio of professors win Nobel economics prize for work on post-colonial wealth |work=The Guardian |date=14 October 2024}}</ref>{{verification needed|date=October 2024}}
| awards = [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] (2024)
| education = [[London School of Economics]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BSc]])<br>[[University of Warwick]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>[[Yale University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| thesis_title = The Dynamic Enforcement of Implicit Labor Contracts under Asymmetric Information
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/304093687/
| thesis_year = 1993
| doctoral_advisor = [[Truman Bewley]]
| discipline = Economics
| sub_discipline = {{ubl |[[Economic theory]] |[[Labor relations]]}}
| workplaces = {{ubl |[[University of Chicago]] |[[Harvard University]] |[[University of California, Berkeley]] |[[University of Southern California]] |[[University of Melbourne]]}}
}}
'''James Alan Robinson''' (born 27 February 1960, [[Chelmsford]]) is a British-American [[economist]] and [[political scientist]]. He is a university professor at the [[Harris School of Public Policy Studies|Harris School of Public Policy]] of the [[University of Chicago]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/james-robinson|title=James Robinson {{!}} Harris Public Policy|website=harris.uchicago.edu|language=en|access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> where he led the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thepearsoninstitute.org/about/leadership|title=The Pearson Institute Leadership|access-date=23 December 2019}}</ref> Robinson taught at [[Harvard University]] from 2004 to 2015.

With [[Daron Acemoglu]], he is the co-author of several books, including ''The Narrow Corridor'', ''[[Why Nations Fail]]'', and ''Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/f/1135/files/2018/06/robinson_cv_august_2016-23rvepr.pdf|title=Curriculum Vitae|access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> In 2024, Robinson, Acemoglu, and [[Simon Johnson (economist)|Simon Johnson]] were awarded the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] for their [[Cross-cultural studies|comparative studies]] on prosperity between nations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2024/press-release/ |access-date=14 October 2024 |website=NobelPrize.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Education ==
Robinson received a [[Bachelor of Science]] in economics from the [[London School of Economics and Political Science]] in 1982, a [[Master of Arts]] in economics from the [[University of Warwick]] in 1986, and a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] in political science from [[Yale University]] in 1993.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=CURRICULUM VITAE – James A. Robinson |url=https://harris.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/2020-01/robinsoncv2020.pdf |access-date=14 October 2024 |website=University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The dynamic enforcement of implicit labor contracts under asymmetric information – ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/304093687 |access-date=14 October 2024 |website=www.proquest.com |id={{ProQuest|304093687}} |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==

Robinson's main fields of research are in [[political economy]] and comparative politics, as well as in economic and political development.<ref name=":0" />

In 2004, Robinson was appointed [[Associate professor|Associate Professor]] of Government at Harvard University. He later held named chair positions at Harvard, first as the David Florence Professor of Government (2009–2014) and later as the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government (2014–2015).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/f/1135/files/2018/06/robinson_cv_august_2016-23rvepr.pdf|title=Curriculum Vitae|access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> On 1 July 2015, he was appointed as one of nine University Professors at the [[Harris School of Public Policy Studies]] of the [[University of Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/02/03/james-robinson-appointed-university-professor-chicago-harris|title=James Robinson Appointed University Professor at Chicago Harris|access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> He previously held the title Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies. On 9 May 2016, Professor Robinson was awarded an honorary doctorate by the [[National University of Mongolia]] during his first visit to the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mongolianeconomy.mn/mn/i/8965 |title=Mongolian Economy – Жеймс Робинсон: Институци гэдэг барилга барьж, түүнийгээ хүмүүсээр дүүргэнэ гэсэн үг биш |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716153725/http://www.mongolianeconomy.mn/mn/i/8965 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |url-status=dead |language=en}}</ref>

He has conducted research in countries around the world including [[Botswana]], [[Chile]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Haiti]], the [[Philippines]], [[Sierra Leone Civil War|Sierra Leone]], [[South Africa]] and [[Colombia]], where he teaches every summer at the University of the Andes in [[Bogotá]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://live.worldbank.org/experts/james-robinson|title=World Bank Live Featured Speaker|access-date=14 October 2024|language=en}}</ref>

On 17 March 2023, James Robinson met with students, scientists, leaders of social opinion, and representatives of finance, economy, and business circles in [[Tashkent]], [[Uzbekistan]]. In an interview, Robinson discussed the construction of [[inclusive institutions]] in [[authoritarianism|authoritarian countries]], the challenging development of countries post-colonialism, the "mistakes" made consciously,<ref>{{Cite web |last=kunu.uz |title="Transition to democracy is not easy" – Interview with James Robinson |url=https://kun.uz/en/news/2023/03/27/transition-to-democracy-is-not-easy-interview-with-james-robinson |access-date=14 October 2024 |website=Kun.uz |language=en}}</ref> and answered questions regarding the "King of Cotton" section on [[Uzbekistan]] in his book ''[[Why Nations Fail]]''.

He has collaborated extensively with long-time co-author [[Daron Acemoglu]] after meeting at the [[London School of Economics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2010/03/pdf/people.pdf|title=IMF Profile: Daron Acemoglu|access-date=14 October 2024|language=en}}</ref>
==Research==

===''Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy''===
''Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy'' (2006), co-authored by Robinson with Daron Acemoglu analyzes the creation and [[democratic consolidation|consolidation]] of [[Democracy|democratic societies]]. They argue that "democracy consolidates when elites do not have a strong incentive to overthrow it. These processes depend on (1) the strength of civil society, (2) the structure of political institutions, (3) the nature of political and economic crises, (4) the level of [[economic inequality]], (5) the structure of the economy, and (6) the form and extent of [[globalization]]."<ref>{{cite web|title=Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy|url=http://www.cambridge.org/am/academic/subjects/economics/public-economics-and-public-policy/economic-origins-dictatorship-and-democracy?format=HB&isbn=9780521855266#o9XJLbwV6hO1KmBV.97|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref> The book's title is derived from ''[[Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy]]'', a 1966 book by [[Barrington Moore Jr.]]<ref name="Acemoglu_Page_38">{{cite book |last1=Acemoglu |first1=Daron |last2=Robinson |first2=James A. |author1-link=Daron Acemoglu |author2-link=James A. Robinson |title=Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780521855266 |page=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzdbfu55IGgC&pg=PA38}}</ref>

===''Why Nations Fail''===
In ''[[Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty]]'' (2012), Acemoglu and Robinson argue that economic growth at the forefront of technology requires [[political stability]], which the [[Maya civilization|Mayan civilization]] (to name only one) did not have,<ref>e.g., p. 143</ref> and [[creative destruction]]. The latter cannot occur without institutional restraints on the granting of [[monopoly]] and [[oligopoly]] rights. They say that the [[Industrial Revolution]] began in [[Great Britain]], because the [[England|English]] [[Bill of Rights 1689]] created such restraints. For example, a [[steamboat]] built in 1705 by [[Denis Papin]] was demolished by a [[Sailor|boatmen]] guild in [[Hann. Münden|Münden]], [[Germany]]. Papin went to [[London]], where several of his papers were published by the [[Royal Society]]. [[Thomas Newcomen]] extended Papin's work into a [[Newcomen atmospheric engine|steam engines]] in 1712, and became a commercial success, while Papin died in 1713 and was buried in an unmarked [[Pauper's funeral|pauper's grave]].<ref>esp. pp. 202–203.</ref>

Acemoglu and Robinson insist that "development differences across countries are exclusively due to differences in political and economic institutions, and reject other theories that attribute some of the differences to culture, weather, geography or lack of knowledge about the best policies and practices."<ref name=Radelet>{{cite web|last1=Radelet|first1=Steven|author-link1=Steven Radelet|title=Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson|url=https://www.usaid.gov/fallsemester/usaid-101/book-club/why-nations-fail|publisher=[[United States Agency for International Development]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916201826/https://www.usaid.gov/fallsemester/usaid-101/book-club/why-nations-fail|archive-date=16 September 2017|date=12 October 2012}}</ref> For example, "Soviet Russia generated rapid growth as it caught up rapidly with some of the advanced technologies in the world [but] was running out of steam by the 1970s" because of a lack of creative destruction.<ref>p. 150.</ref>

===''The Narrow Corridor''===
[[File:James A. Robinson, 2024 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics 4.jpg|thumb|Robinson lecturing at 2024 Nobel Week]]
In ''The Narrow Corridor. States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty'' (2019), Acemoglu and Robinson argue that a free society is attained when the power of the state and of society have evolved in rough balance.<ref>Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, ''The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty.'' New York: Penguin, 2019.</ref>

===A critique of modernization theory===
[[Daron Acemoglu]] and James A. Robinson, in their article "Income and Democracy" (2008) show that even though there is a strong cross-country correlation between income and democracy, once one controls for country fixed effects and removes the association between income per capita and various measures of democracy, there is "no causal effect of income on democracy."<ref>Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, James A. Robinson, and Pierre Yared, "Income and Democracy." ''American Economic Review'' 98(3) 2008: 808–42.</ref> In "Non-Modernization" (2022), they further argue that [[modernization theory]] cannot account for various paths of political development "because it posits a link between economics and politics that is not conditional on institutions and culture and that presumes a definite endpoint—for example, an '[[end of history]]'."<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1146/annurev-polisci-051120-103913 | title=Non-Modernization: Power–Culture Trajectories and the Dynamics of Political Institutions | date=2022 | last1=Acemoglu | first1=Daron | last2=Robinson | first2=James | journal=Annual Review of Political Science | volume=25 | pages=323–339 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Publications==

===Books===
* {{cite book|author1=James A. Robinson|author2=Daron Acemoglu|author2-link=Daron Acemoglu|title=The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty|year=2019|location=New York|publisher=[[Penguin Press]]|isbn=978-0735224384}}
* {{cite book|editor1=James A. Robinson|editor2=Emmanuel Akyeampong|editor2-link=Emmanuel Akyeampong|editor3=Robert H. Bates|editor3-link=Robert Bates (political scientist)|editor4=Nathan Nunn|editor4-link=Nathan Nunn|title=Africa's Development in Historical Perspective|year=2014|location=New York|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-1107691209}}
* {{cite book|editor1=James A. Robinson|editor2=Alice H. Amsden|editor2-link=Alice Amsden|editor3=Alisa DiCaprio|editor3-link=Alisa DiCaprio|title=The Role of Elites in Economic Development|year=2012|location=New York|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-965903-6}}
* {{cite book|author1=James A. Robinson|author2=Daron Acemoglu|author2-link=Daron Acemoglu|title=[[Why Nations Fail|Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty]]|year=2012|location=New York|publisher=[[Crown Business]]|isbn=978-0307719218}}
* {{cite book|editor1=James A. Robinson|editor2=Jared Diamond|editor2-link=Jared Diamond|title=Natural Experiments of History.|year=2010|location=Cambridge, MA|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|isbn=978-0-674-03557-7}}
* {{cite book|editor1=James A. Robinson|editor2=Klaus Wiegandt|editor2-link=Klaus Wiegandt|title=Die Ursprünge der modernen Welt: Geschichte im wissenschaftlichen Vergleich|year=2008|language=German |location=Frankfurt|publisher=[[Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag]]|isbn=978-3596179343}}
* {{cite book|editor1=James A. Robinson|editor2=Miguel Urrutia|editor2-link=Miguel Urrutia Montoya|title=Economía Colombiana del Siglo XX: Un Análisis Cuantitativo|year=2007|language=Spanish |location=Bogotá and México D.F.|publisher=[[Fondo de Cultura Económica]]|isbn=978-9583801396}}
* {{cite book|author1=James A. Robinson|author2=Daron Acemoglu|author2-link=Daron Acemoglu|title=Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy|year=2006|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=0-521-67142-6}}

===Articles===
* Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson. 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation." ''American Economic Review'' Vol. 91, Nº 5: 1369–401.
* Robinson, James A. 2006. "Economic Development and Democracy." ''Annual Reviews of Political Science'' 9, 503–527.
* Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, James A. Robinson, and Pierre Yared. 2008. "Income and Democracy." ''American Economic Review'' 98(3): 808–42.
* Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, James A. Robinson, and Pierre Yared. 2009 "Reevaluating the Modernization Hypothesis." ''Journal of Monetary Economics'' 56(8): 1043–58.
* Acemoglu, Daron and James Robinson. 2022. "Non-Modernization: Power–Culture Trajectories and the Dynamics of Political Institutions." ''Annual Review of Political Science'' 25(1): 323–339

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Critical juncture theory}}
* {{annotated link|Economic history}}
* {{annotated link|Environmental determinism}}
* {{annotated link|Institutional economics}}
* {{annotated link|New institutional economics}}
*[[Colonial Origins of Comparative Development]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Nobelprize}}
* {{official homepage|https://harris.uchicago.edu/directory/james-robinson|Homepage at The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy}}
* {{cite web|title=James Alan Robinson |url=https://econpapers.repec.org/RAS/pro179.htm|publisher=[[EconPapers]]}}
* {{Google Scholar id|rNHDppMAAAAJ}}
* University of Chicago News, "[https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-2024-nobel-laureate-explains-what-makes-countries-fail-or-succeed-james-robinson Nobel laureate explains what makes countries fail or succeed, with James A. Robinson]" - Oct 17, 2024

{{Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureates}}
{{2024 Nobel Prize winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, James A.}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:British development economists]]
[[Category:British political scientists]]
[[Category:American political scientists]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Melbourne]]
[[Category:University of Southern California faculty]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty]]
[[Category:Harvard University faculty]]
[[Category:University of Chicago faculty]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]
[[Category:20th-century American economists]]
[[Category:21st-century American economists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Econometric Society]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Economics]]
[[Category:British Nobel laureates]]