authors:
- Acemoğlu, Daron
- Robinson, James A
content: 'This book begins with Thomas Hobbes thesis that a working modern society
  requires a strong state. But, of course, having a despotic stat does not really
  solve the problem. Liberty cannot flourish in either a state of anarchy (Absent
  Leviathan) or a tyranny (Despotic Leviathan). What is required is a state whose
  powers are controlled by a strong civil society with democratic traditions, a Shackled
  Leviathan.


  The Narrow Corridor of the title refers to the thin area in a diagram where the
  x- and y-axis denote the power of the state, and society, respectively. The part
  of the diagram where the state has overwhelming power is the Despotic Leviathan,
  where the state is weak is the Absent Leviathan, which often means a clan-based
  society.


  I find the analysis convincing, in general. It is not so much a theory of society
  as a way to analyse what happened in particular cases. The requirements for a society
  to get into, and stay inside, the Narrow Corridor are always dependent on the particular
  historical circumstances. The authors tell stories about what happened in a number
  of cases, and although I cannot claim to be an expert, I cannot spot any direct
  and obvious misreadings of history.


  The main take-home message I got from this book is the contingent nature of a state
  of liberty. Often, the liberal view seems to be that democracy and a free society
  are somehow natural, and other types of states and society are perversions. In contrast
  the view in this book is rather that a free, individualistic society is very much
  a special case, which requires hard work to reach and maintain. I believe this is
  correct.'
date: '2021-09-10'
edition:
  published: '2020'
  publisher: Penguin
goodreads: '50880700'
html: '<p>This book begins with Thomas Hobbes thesis that a working modern society
  requires a strong state. But, of course, having a despotic stat does not really
  solve the problem. Liberty cannot flourish in either a state of anarchy (Absent
  Leviathan) or a tyranny (Despotic Leviathan). What is required is a state whose
  powers are controlled by a strong civil society with democratic traditions, a Shackled
  Leviathan.</p>

  <p>The Narrow Corridor of the title refers to the thin area in a diagram where the
  x- and y-axis denote the power of the state, and society, respectively. The part
  of the diagram where the state has overwhelming power is the Despotic Leviathan,
  where the state is weak is the Absent Leviathan, which often means a clan-based
  society.</p>

  <p>I find the analysis convincing, in general. It is not so much a theory of society
  as a way to analyse what happened in particular cases. The requirements for a society
  to get into, and stay inside, the Narrow Corridor are always dependent on the particular
  historical circumstances. The authors tell stories about what happened in a number
  of cases, and although I cannot claim to be an expert, I cannot spot any direct
  and obvious misreadings of history.</p>

  <p>The main take-home message I got from this book is the contingent nature of a
  state of liberty. Often, the liberal view seems to be that democracy and a free
  society are somehow natural, and other types of states and society are perversions.
  In contrast the view in this book is rather that a free, individualistic society
  is very much a special case, which requires hard work to reach and maintain. I believe
  this is correct.</p>

  '
isbn: '9780241314333'
language: en
lastmod: '2021-09-10'
path: /library/acemoglu-2019.html
published: '2019'
rating: 4
reference: Acemoglu 2019
reviewed: '2021-09-10'
subjects:
- history
- liberalism
- political-philosophy
- science
title: 'The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty'
type: book
year: 2019