The Narrow Corridor-How Nations Struggle for Liberty by Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson

 

 

 

It can be safely assumed that human beings and agglomerations of humans that we call societies, aspire for peace, prosperity and liberty. It follows therefore, that an interesting subject for study and debate is the whole issue of how these aspirations can be fulfilled and whether societies have managed to fulfil these aspirations in history, and if not, why not.

The 1640s were very violent and troubled times in Britain and political philosopher Thomas Hobbes responded in 1651 with the book, Leviathan, in which he recommended that people should ’submit their Wills’ to a strong centralized state - the Leviathan - to ensure peace, and presumably, prosperity.

Unfortunately, strong states have a penchant for dominance - despotism is part of a state’s DNA - and liberty, all too often, is quietly abandoned by the powers that be, as neither necessary nor sufficient for social welfare. This very frequently leads to the emergence of a Despotic Leviathan.

The authors argue that between an Absent Leviathan and a Despotic Leviathan there is a very narrow ‘corridor’ in which a strong and effective state can coexist with a capable, well-organized society that can take collective action to keep the state ‘shackled’ and control its naturally despotic tendencies without curtailing its effectiveness in other areas of endeavor.

Theorizing about the nature of great states is interesting, but what is fascinating about this book is the wealth of real world examples that the authors have collated and put forth for our edification.

Athens, around 594 BCE, built a Shackled Leviathan through the efforts of Solon, who was appointed Archon - a kind of executive President - for a year. The authors quote Plutarch as saying,”The rich found him(Solon) acceptable because of his wealth and the poor because of his integrity.” Solon instituted reforms that created a balance of power between the rich and the poor and empowered the common man without crippling the executive capability of the state. Apart from his perspicacity, a significant point in this example is Solon’s integrity - a rare quality in modern day leaders and perhaps the reason for the predominance of Despotic Leviathans rather than Shackled Leviathans in today’s world.

The Chinese state from ancient to modern times offers an example of a Despotic Leviathan, while Western Europe has several examples of  Shackled Leviathans. The role of history is significant here. The fall of the Western Roman Empire at the hands - or swords - of Germanic tribes brought together the centralized hierarchical administrative structures of the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church with their traditions of consensual decision making via assemblies characteristic of the Germanic tribes. The confluence of these two rather divergent societal characteristics enabled the emergence of Shackled Leviathans - effective states constrained by strongly mobilized, well-organized societies. ’Path Dependence’, as the academics call it, makes history important,  though the authors argue that agency - charismatic leaders, cohesive civil society groups et al - is very significant too.

An interesting ,though far too brief, analysis of the Indian situation is worth mentioning here. A fragmented society divided by caste and so at war - or at least in conflict - with itself cannot come together to shackle a strong state. Furthermore, Colonial powers created state institutions, but not any means whereby society could monitor and control them. And post Independence these institutions continued without any significant alteration in ethos.  Thus India, the logic goes, is unlikely to evolve into a Shackled Leviathan. This analysis can be the starting point for a detailed examination of the state in India, the path dependence leading to the Despotic Leviathan and the conditions needed to get to the corridor of the Shackled Levaithan. This is an exercise waiting to be done.

Sub Saharan Africa yields several examples of the Absent Leviathan and Russia and Georgia yield outstanding examples of the Despotic one.

A detailed analysis of the evolution of the American Leviathan is remarkably educative. The limitations of the Constitution, the compromises with the slave owning constituencies of the South, the Bill of Rights and its limitations and much more make for fascinating reading.

The problem and its history have been brilliantly analyzed by the authors .The solutions are, however, hard to pin down. There is no single route to reach the ideal Shackled Leviathan; history matters a great deal; the emergence of charismatic leaders is important…

There is no clear prescription for curing the despotic tendencies of a strong centralized state. Societal mobilization of the non-elite is required, but how can that be achieved in a fragmented, hierarchical society?

We have to look elsewhere for answers.

The knowledge that this book imparts and the questions it raises are worth the effort required to read it.

The book is highly educative and strongly recommended.

Happy reading.