Book Review: Daron Acemoglu ve James A. Robinson, The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies and The Faith of Liberty, New York, Penguin Press, 2019.

Abstract

This book review examines Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty, which argues that political liberty emerges only when a capable state is balanced by an organized and empowered society. The authors conceptualize this equilibrium as the “narrow corridor,” a fragile space in which state authority provides order while societal power restrains despotism. Using historical and comparative evidence from Europe, the Islamic world, and contemporary states such as China, India, and the United States, the book demonstrates how deviations from this balance produce either authoritarianism or disorder, both of which erode freedom. The review highlights the book’s contributions to understanding the role of institutions, social norms, and technological change in shaping liberty. Overall, the work offers a coherent and historically grounded framework for analyzing the persistence, decline, and renewal of political freedom.