It is about the Book "The Narrow Corridor - States, Societies and the Fate of Liberty" by Robinson and Acemoglu. I will show the main argument of them both and the three versions of Leviathans they describe. At the end there is an attempt to compare their understanding of liberty with that of Buchanan.
Drawing inspiration from John Locke's definition of Liberty, the paper explores the link to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan and the three versions presented by Acemoglu and Robinson. Highlighting the fragility of Liberty, the paper emphasizes the challenge of reaching and maintaining the narrow corridor where Liberty flourishes.
An additional chapter focuses on James Buchanan's perspective on freedom, derived from his book "The Limits of Liberty – between anarchy and Leviathan" (1975). The primary goal is to establish connections between Acemoglu and Robinson's arguments and Buchanan's views on Liberty, exploring both similarities and differences. The concluding chapter summarizes the main arguments, emphasizing the shared goal and significant similarities between Acemoglu and Robinson's concept of Liberty and Buchanan's perspective. The paper concludes by addressing potential differences in the distribution of roles between the state and society in both approaches. Despite potential variances, both perspectives share common goals and essential similarities.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The main argument
- 3 The three versions of the Leviathan
- 3.1 Absent Leviathan
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper aims to examine the concept of liberty as presented by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson in "The Narrow Corridor – States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty". It explores their framework and contrasts it with James Buchanan's perspective on freedom. The paper analyzes the similarities and differences between these perspectives, particularly regarding the roles of state and society in promoting liberty.
- The concept of liberty as a fragile balance between state and society
- The role of the Leviathan, particularly its three versions: Absent, Working, and Paper
- The importance of the Red Queen Effect in achieving and maintaining liberty
- The threat posed by predatory elites to the emergence of a Shackled Leviathan
- The challenge of maintaining liberty in the face of global destabilization
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces Acemoglu and Robinson's concept of liberty, drawing upon John Locke's definition and contrasting it with Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. It argues that reaching the "narrow corridor" where liberty flourishes is a significant challenge, but staying within it is even more difficult.
The second chapter delves into the main argument of Acemoglu and Robinson, emphasizing the delicate balance of power between state and society as the key to achieving liberty. It explores the concept of non-dominance, the dangers of both a too-powerful state and a too-powerful society, and the Red Queen Effect as a dynamic force driving this balance.
The third chapter focuses on the Absent Leviathan, a situation where the state is weak or non-existent. It uses the example of the Tiv tribe in Nigeria to illustrate how a lack of strong institutions and widespread distrust can prevent a society from shackling the Leviathan.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key concepts and themes explored in this text include: liberty, state, society, Leviathan, Red Queen Effect, non-dominance, predatory elites, Absent Leviathan, Working Leviathan, Paper Leviathan, Shackled Leviathan, and the narrow corridor.
- Quote paper
- Asim Mahmud (Author), 2019, Liberty in "The Narrow Corridor" compared to Liberty by Buchanan, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1004256
