SKU: 48157012409

The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty

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The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of LibertyFrom the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, a crucial new big picture framework that answers the question of how liberty flourishes in some states but falls to authoritarianism or anarchy in others and explains how it can continue to thrive despite new threats. In Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson argued that countries rise and fall based not on culture, geography, or chance, but on the power of their

From the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, a crucial new big-picture framework that answers the question of how liberty flourishes in some states but falls to authoritarianism or anarchy in others--and explains how it can continue to thrive despite new threats.

In Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson argued that countries rise and fall based not on culture, geography, or chance, but on the power of their institutions. In their new book, they build a new theory about liberty and how to achieve it, drawing a wealth of evidence from both current affairs and disparate threads of world history.

Liberty is hardly the "natural" order of things. In most places and at most times, the strong have dominated the weak and human freedom has been quashed by force or by customs and norms. Either states have been too weak to protect individuals from these threats, or states have been too strong for people to protect themselves from despotism. Liberty emerges only when a delicate and precarious balance is struck between state and society.

There is a Western myth that political liberty is a durable construct, arrived at by a process of "enlightenment." This static view is a fantasy, the authors argue. In reality, the corridor to liberty is narrow and stays open only via a fundamental and incessant struggle between state and society: The authors look to the American Civil Rights Movement, Europe's early and recent history, the Zapotec civilization circa 500 BCE, and Lagos's efforts to uproot corruption and institute government accountability to illustrate what it takes to get and stay in the corridor. But they also examine Chinese imperial history, colonialism in the Pacific, India's caste system, Saudi Arabia's suffocating cage of norms, and the "Paper Leviathan" of many Latin American and African nations to show how countries can drift away from it, and explain the feedback loops that make liberty harder to achieve.

Today we are in the midst of a time of wrenching destabilization. We need liberty more than ever, and yet the corridor to liberty is becoming narrower and more treacherous. The danger on the horizon is not "just" the loss of our political freedom, however grim that is in itself; it is also the disintegration of the prosperity and safety that critically depend on liberty. The opposite of the corridor of liberty is the road to ruin.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 09/22/2020
ISBN: 9780735224407
Pages: 576
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.30d
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SKU: 48157012409

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JFH
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
High quality and incredible customer service
Color: Black Full Mesh, Style: Executive
This is an extremely well made chair at a very competitive price. The packaging, assembly instructions, as well as the way the hardware was packaged and labeled is probably the best I've seen. I'm particular about tools, and the included allen wrench was better than the normal "included tools" so much so that i actually used it rather than one of my own. The assembly was easy, and the chair itself looks and feels very high quality, and is very comfortable. Perhaps best of all was the level of customer service. I emailed on a weekend to activate the warranty and request the free cushion they offer. I got a personal response in less than a day and they offered upgraded wheels for free as well. This is a company worth doing business with.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2026
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Michael Verbeke
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Great product AND customer service!
Color: Black Full Mesh, Style: Executive
I'm having a hard time writing this review because I can't tell which one I like better: the product or the customer service! I work on a computer all day, so a comfortable office chair is critical for me. This chair is great - it's adjustable in every way I need it to be, especially the armrests. The breathable mesh is both durable and supportive, and is more comfortable to sit in than the "overstuffed" chair it replaced. Let me just say: no company provides better customer service than MOLENTS. Right after assembling my chair (which was very easy, btw), I registered for the 2 year warranty they offer. The NEXT DAY I received an email from Alice in their customer service department 1) to confirm my warranty, 2) to tell me about the free foam seat cover they were sending me, and 3) to make sure the chair was comfortable and easy to assemble. Very few companies take the effort to follow up with customers right after making a purchase like that. I'm extremely happy with this purchase. This chair is worth MORE than it's weight in gold, and I strongly recommend to anyone thinking about buying an office chair to buy it from MOLENTS - you won't regret it. Oh, and if Alice's supervisors are reading this: she absolutely deserves a promotion!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2026
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S. Carpenter
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Great value and a good chair
Color: Black Full Mesh, Style: Executive
Great chair for the price. Not as solid as an Ergo but it's not thousands of dollars either. It's pretty easy to assemble and the directions are good. It rolls well on LVP flooring and they offer 'upgraded' wheels at no cost from what I can tell. I didn't order them since the included ones work perfectly. I'm 6'4" and both the seat and arm heights can be adjusted to fit me well. The mesh seat is comfortable and the back works fine. The only downside for me is that the lumbar support doesn't adjust quite high enough to actually reach my lumbar area, but I think it would work for most folks. Overall it's hard to argue with the cost and even if it only lasts a few years it's worth the money.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2025
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Rob
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Chair and Outstanding Customer Service
Color: Black Full Mesh, Style: Executive
I desperately needed a new office chair. I ordered this chair with the mesh seat and it spike up my sciatica. I reached out to the company and Alice took great care to address the issue. She sent me a new seat with a foam cushion and it resolved the issue immediately. The chair is incredibly comfortable with the lumbar support, adjustability and foot support. She also sent me upgraded wheels as my chair is on a thin chair mat on hard wood floors. Alice was extremely responsive with possible options and very thorough with instructions on how to replace the seat. It is a high quality chair that I anticipate will last me quite some time. I highly recommend this company and will definitely order products from them again should the need arise. Thank you, Alice!!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2026
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Glenn R. Miller
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Well-packaged, quality materials, easy to assemble, very comfortable, great customer service
Color: Black Full Mesh, Style: Executive
When I received this package, I was surprised at how small/compact it was--hard to believe a high-back office chair could fit in that box! As I unpacked it, I was impressed by two things: first, how incredibly well it was packaged with an obvious intent to protect the components; second, how solid, heavy-duty, and high-quality those components were. I got the box unpacked and read the instructions. They were simple and easy to understand, and included so many "here's a good tip" notes that it was obvious that a lot of thought and experience had gone into writing them. I found the chair simple to assemble and had it done in less than 15 minutes. The chair was very adjustable. I was able to get the height to exactly what I wanted with no trouble at all. I was also able to adjust the height of the lumbar support, and to adjust how far it extended. There are a lot of adjustments you can make, the instructions lay that out quite thoroughly, too. As a result, the chair was very comfortable and helped me sit with a healthy posture. I bought this chair because I had begun having an ache in my lower back, which I suspected was due to a chair I had been using for over 5 years. Within 3 days, the back pain was gone. I was also very impressed with the customer service. Their manual mentions in multiple places things you can try if you have any issues, and always ends with "call us". Their team reached out to me after a few days to make sure I got the chair assembled with no issues and that it was comfortable. This was all part of the all-around quality of this purchase. I'm very happy with this chair!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2026

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