I haven’t yet read Why Nations Fail, but I assume the authors link inclusivity to democracy. Although the pace of democratic change has ebbed and flowed in recent years, the idea that democracy can be exported, especially militarily, has been discredited. Recent charges against foreign democracy advocates in Egypt suggest that even the peaceful export of democracy is questionable, unless it is done with great caution.

After interviewing 90 activists from democratization NGOs in the three countries, I concluded that what they import is democratic ideas, from the developing as well as the developed world. They also work to restore traditional democratic practices such as dialogue and deliberation at the village level.

Equally important, they work on everything from teaching local police about human rights in Tajikistan, to pressuring local governments to become more accountable in South Africa to achieving open hearings for Supreme Court candidates in Argentina. The three countries are radically different, but the organizers of democratization NGOs all understand that democracy is about more than just elections.

Looks like this book is a must read.

It depends on how much the definition of an extractive institution is reliant on a nation’s dependence on a limited number of commodities, which the US is not. But surely the US practices a distinct form of crony capitalism. Even though Obama has done a lot for our institutions of power, such as Wall Street, the banking industry, the insurance industry, etc., I would still argue that Obama is the closest thing to a fluke that we’ll see again unless our election system is changed. That is, Obama’s kowtowing to our institutions of power is not overt, certainly not as overt as recent preceding Presidents, and he’s paid a lot of political capital for that “reserve”. After Obama leaves office, be it next year or in 5 more years, expect the crony capitalism to be much more overt from whomever is in the Oval Office. Definitely with Mitt Romney. And why shouldn’t we expect it be? We’re not in much of a position to do anything about it except to take to the streets, and Americans tend to be slow to do that, though that may be changing.

Also, consistent with an extractive governing institution, our media resources are dependent on bringing in large sums of cash and that’s much easier if they behave and tow the extractive, crony capitalism line. For example, why contribute to educating the American populace on the threatening, undemocratic effects that our current political campaign financing system has on our Republic when the current system rains money on our news media institutions like manna from heaven in the form of political advertising? Why gnaw off the hand that feeds you just because it’s the right thing to do?

I believe that the US is now very much run by an extractive form of government and we are already beginning to suffer the consequences laid out for us by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their book “Why Nations Fail”. It will only get worse if we don’t change our political system to be more inclusive.

It depends on how much the definition of an extractive institution is reliant on a nation’s dependence on a limited number of commodities, which the US is not. But surely the US practices a distinct form of crony capitalism. Even though Obama has done a lot for our institutions of power, such as Wall Street, the banking industry, the insurance industry, etc., I would still argue that Obama is the closest thing to a fluke that we’ll see again unless our election system is changed. That is, Obama’s kowtowing to our institutions of power is not overt, certainly not as overt as recent preceding Presidents, and he’s paid a lot of political capital for that “reserve”. After Obama leaves office, be it next year or in 5 more years, expect the crony capitalism to be much more overt from whomever is in the Oval Office. Definitely with Mitt Romney. And why shouldn’t we expect it be? We’re not in much of a position to do anything about it except to take to the streets, and Americans tend to be slow to do that, though that may be changing.

Also, consistent with an extractive governing institution, our media resources are dependent on bringing in large sums of cash and that’s much easier if they behave and tow the extractive, crony capitalism line. For example, why contribute to educating the American populace on the threatening, undemocratic effects that our current political campaign financing system has on our Republic when the current system rains money on our news media institutions like manna from heaven in the form of political advertising? Why gnaw off the hand that feeds you just because it’s the right thing to do?

I believe that the US is now very much run by an extractive form of government and we are already beginning to suffer the consequences laid out for us by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their book “Why Nations Fail”. It will only get worse if we don’t change our political system to be more inclusive.