Why Nations Fail

by

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

The Arab Spring was a widespread series of anti-government protests across North Africa and the Middle East from late 2010 to 2012. These protests were ongoing when Acemoglu and Robinson published Why Nations Fail.

The Arab Spring Quotes in Why Nations Fail

The Why Nations Fail quotes below are all either spoken by The Arab Spring or refer to The Arab Spring. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
).
Preface Quotes

In this book we’ll argue that the Egyptians in Tahrir Square, not most academics and commentators, have the right idea. In fact, Egypt is poor precisely because it has been ruled by a narrow elite that have organized society for their own benefit at the expense of the vast mass of people. Political power has been narrowly concentrated, and has been used to create great wealth for those who possess it, such as the $70 billion fortune apparently accumulated by ex-president Mubarak. The losers have been the Egyptian people, as they only too well understand.

Related Characters: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (speaker)
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Arab Spring Term Timeline in Why Nations Fail

The timeline below shows where the term The Arab Spring appears in Why Nations Fail. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Preface
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
Diversity, Pluralism, and Empowerment Theme Icon
...disparities between rich and poor countries. While Acemoglu and Robinson were writing the book, the Arab Spring revolutions rocked the Middle East, fueled by widespread poverty and anger at the elite ruling... (full context)
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
...the United States, Acemoglu and Robinson look to Egyptians themselves. Egyptian protestors participating in the Arab Spring uniformly blame their nation’s troubles on corruption and the repression of civil liberties. They demand... (full context)
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
History and Institutional Change Theme Icon
Cycles of Wealth and Poverty Theme Icon
Diversity, Pluralism, and Empowerment Theme Icon
...in creating widespread prosperity and others fail. But it remains to be seen whether the Arab Spring will succeed, too. (full context)
Chapter 13: Why Nations Fail Today
Global Inequality and Economic Growth Theme Icon
Cycles of Wealth and Poverty Theme Icon
Diversity, Pluralism, and Empowerment Theme Icon
...institutions have consistently driven its economic institutions toward extractive policies, too. This continued until the Arab Spring protests tumbled President Mubarak’s regime in 2011. (full context)