Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, geography?
Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities.
The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.
Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: - China has built an authoritarian growth machine.
Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West? - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity?
More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions? Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world."
Omeno Michelle –
“What if you never find love or get married? How you ultimately be?”
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When I read a book and connect with a character or relate to what they’re going through I feel like the book has a soul of its own and Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband is such a book.
This story touched on a myriad of phenomena that sold truth to me. Love, marriage, friendship, mother-daughter relationships and family take centre stage. Aside from the foremost former don’t the rest take center stage in the African way of life that mad the story feel like home away from home.
Blackburn delivered this story in a way that’s reminiscent of Bridget Jones’ Diary adding lotsa depth and humor to her characters that made them vivid, other dialogue formats (that I immensely enjoyed), with lotsa hard truths in an easy to digest way.
Yinka’s tale is not far from many women’s journey into marriage and while she felt powerless in the end she took back her power in a show to remind you you hold the power.
Empowerment, healing, faith in self, tap into your creativity, traditions, societal expectations vs reality, balance, forgiveness, self love and acceptance are the other themes that took centre stage.
One thing is for sure, relationships can either make you or break you: I love the way Blackburn reminded us through Yinka’s story and that important reminder in the end the most important relationship is the one you have with self.
I also love fact that this story reminded me, reminded us the readers it’s okay not to be okay. That it’s okay to seek help.
Yinka started out finding a huzband and in the end she found her true self.
I succinctly sipped this book from cover to cover. I see why a draft of the book won an award.
‘ “I need to get in touch with who I really am,” I say. “Not try to be the person the world wants me to be.” ‘
Chief, the NuriaStore bookseller –
The, book Yinka, where is your huzband is about acceptance of who you really are, and not seeking opinions of how about people look at you to determine who you really are.
Yinka, is a successful young woman who has a career, degree, a house, a car but hasn’t been lucky or successful in finding love or a husband. And this bothers her family especially her mother who feels like she’s getting old, now that Yinka turned 31 years old.
When her cousins get married, she is now even more pressured to at least go out and look for a date, making her sign up for dating apps like Tinder. By doing so she thinks that this action will finally help her answer the question that everyone wants and an answer for
“Where is your huzband?”
Well, it’s a hard journey for her since, she meet few dated along the way and they just don’t turn out to what she want for herself. Heartbreaks, tears, abuses you name it, not forgetting about falling for her friend instead of her. Let’s say it’s full of disappointments
The book covers the content about colourism and peer-pressure where the author takes us through on how Yinka managed to overcome and use to her advantage.
This book well, captures the situation, we find ourselves in because of the pressure we get from friends and family.
My take: This is a beautiful fun written story about love and acceptance and the characters and personalities in the book make the book ever more interesting to read.