By Daren Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
New York: Penguin Press, 2019.
Pp. xvii, 558. $32 hardcover.
Amid heightened economic, social, and political divides, social unrest, and rising popularity of antiliberty arguments, Daren Acemoglu and James A. Robinson write a book that unapologetically emphasizes the importance of liberty. Liberty not only creates prosperity but also is the foundation that provides individuals with what they want-the opportunity to create and live the lives they want to live. Good old-fashioned liberty. The kind of liberty discussed by John Locke, where individuals can act, buy, sell, think, and speak without having to ask for permission as long as these actions do not directly harm others. People must be free from violence, intimidation, punishment, and social sanctions in order to make free choices about their lives.
Yet this kind of freedom is rarely observed
