Why

Renewing Indigenous Economics Forum talk by James A. Robinson Professor, University of Chicago, on Why Indian Nations Fail on Monday, September 24, 2018 in Stauffer Auditorium, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Professor James Robinson delivered a keynote address on September 24, 2018. Drawing on his award winning, co-authored book, Why Nations FailRobinson explained how different indigenous societies adapted their institutions over centuries, allowing them to survive and in many cases thrive. Robinson discussed how governance structures thrust upon them by modern nation states have stifled this evolutionary process and led to economic stagnation for many indigenous economies. By understanding why indigenous nations have failed, indigenous societies can renew their cultures and their economies.

Robinson's lecture was followed by comments from Manny Jules, Chief Commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission, and Te Maire Tau, Director of the Ngāi Tahu Research Center at the University of Canterbury.

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Monday, November 3, 2025
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The Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World invites you to a roundtable on From Press to Protest to Prison: Jimmy Lai and the End… Annenberg Conference Room, George P. Shultz Building
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
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The Hoover History Lab and Hoover Institution Library & Archives invite you to a special hybrid event with Daniel Flynn to discuss his recent… Shultz Auditorium, Stanford, California
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