James Robinson appointed University Professor at Chicago Harris

The University of Chicago has appointed James Robinson, a renowned political scientist and economist and an expert on Africa and Latin America, as University Professor in the Harris School of Public Policy. Robinson currently serves as the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government at Harvard University and a faculty associate at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Some of Robinson's best-known work looks at the conditions and institutions that shape national and global economic outcomes. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty , which he coauthored with Daron Acemoglu in 2012, earned international acclaim in academic and popular publications. Robinson's appointment is effective July 1. He will be in residence beginning January 2016. "We are excited to welcome Jim to Chicago Harris," said Daniel Diermeier, dean of Chicago Harris.