New Steps in the Publishing Activity of the Faculty of Economics - Soon, a Translation of the Book The Narrow Corridor

With pleasure, we announce that the Faculty of Economics has acquired the copyright for the translation of the brilliant book The Narrow Corridor by renowned professors D. Acemoglu (MIT) and J. Robinson (University of Chicago). With this translation, we are launching a special edition dedicated to the most prestigious research in the field of (political) economics.

The books theme revolves around institutions, which are a pivotal point in the development of the economy and society. Institutions emerge from the conflict between the state and society. As the authors emphasize, freedom is not a natural order of things. In most places and in most cases, the powerful have dominated the weak, and human freedom has been curtailed by force or by customs and norms. Either states were too weak to protect individuals from these threats, or they were too strong for people to protect themselves from despotism. Freedom only arises when a delicate and precarious balance is established between the state and society.

"The conflict between the state and society, where the state is represented by elite institutions and leaders, creates a narrow corridor in which freedom thrives," Acemoglu emphasizes. "This conflict needs to be balanced. Imbalance is harmful to freedom. If society is too weak, it leads to despotism. On the other hand, if society is too strong, it results in weak states incapable of protecting their citizens."

Acemoglu and Robinson garnered worldwide attention with their international bestseller Why Nations Fail (2012) and their book The Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (2006).