Why Nations Fail Characters

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson are the authors of Why Nations Fail. They are economists who study the relationship between institutions, poverty, and economic growth around the world.

Jared Diamond is a biophysicist, ornithologist, and popular science writer best known for the book Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (1997), in which he argues that geographical factors have caused international inequality and European global domination.

Tiberius Gracchus was a Roman official who represented the plebeians—or common citizens—in 133 BC. After he advocated for land reform, wealthy Roman aristocrats assassinated him. Acemoglu and Robinson use Gracchus’s assassination as an example of how elites go to extreme lengths to protect extractive institutions.

Carlos Menem was Argentina’s president from 1989 to 1999. Acemoglu and Robinson argue that Menem abused his powers and reinforced the long tradition of extractive institutions that contributed to Argentina’s century-long economic decline.

Joseph Stalin was the Soviet Union’s authoritarian leader from 1927 to 1953. Acemoglu and Robinson use his regime’s economic policies as a classic example of how extractive institutions can generate limited economic growth—but not innovation or sustained prosperity.

John Smith was an English mercenary and statesman who led the Jamestown colony in Virginia from 1607 to 1609. He helped the settlers survive by forcing them to work and trading with Native Americans.

Charles I was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649. His attempts to grab absolute power alienated Parliament, leading to the English Civil War and, eventually, the Glorious Revolution.

Henry and Susannah Cable were married English convicts who were exiled to Australia in 1787. Through Australia’s inclusive economic institutions, they managed to sue their ship’s captain for a stolen parcel and eventually build a successful business.