The murder of Tiberius Gracchus might initially seem unusual because, as the authors have repeatedly argued,
extractive institutions tend to cause political infighting—not inclusive ones. Rome’s political institutions were relatively inclusive because, although they were by no means egalitarian, they were somewhat pluralistic. In other words, Roman institutions represented multiple groups, even if they didn’t represent
everyone. The archaeological evidence suggests that these institutions promoted economic growth, which supports the authors’ overall thesis about institutions causing prosperity.