As nations fail, this book succeeds

I liked this essay on the political economy of economic growth in large part because I’ve been saying the same kind of thing, that institutions matter and that policy must work within the institutional context, for 30 years in lunchrooms and seminar-style classes. But "talk is cheap," while Acemoglu and Robinson have paid their dues, not only in the careful research that makes this book authoritative, but in a couple decades worth of technical research into economic growth and its basis in institutional frameworks as well. If you enjoy the airy plausibilities that armchair wonks like myself spout, you’ll enjoy, and learn from, this book much, much more.
Another important characteristic of this book is the modesty of the authors in "marketing" their theory. They are quite frank about the historical contingencies that prevent the theory from being more than vaguely predictive and from providing clear and simple policy recommendations. They acknowledge that it is a theory, and