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Friday, May 18, 2012

What Makes Countries Rich or Poor? by Jared Diamond

Jared Diamond of "Guns, Germs and Steel" defends his thesis that geography and microbes matter. Geography and microbes contribute to the foundations of institutions.

What Makes Countries Rich or Poor? by Jared Diamond | The New York Review of Books


Money quote, for countries and for ourselves:

" The factors are multiple and diverse. We all know, from our personal experience, that there isn’t one simple answer to the question why each of us becomes richer or poorer: it depends on inheritance, education, ambition, talent, health, personal connections, opportunities, and luck, just to mention some factors. Hence we shouldn’t be surprised that the question of why whole societies become richer or poorer also cannot be given one simple answer."

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