Liberty in "The Narrow Corridor" compared to Liberty by Buchanan (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Politics - Other International Politics Topics, grade: 1,7, University of Marburg, language: English, abstract: It is about the Book "The Narrow Corridor - States, Societies and the Fate of Liberty" by Robinson and Acemoglu. I will show the main argument of them both and the three versions of Leviathans they describe. At the end there is an attempt to compare their understanding of liberty with that of Buchanan.

Drawing inspiration from John Locke's definition of Liberty, the paper explores the link to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan and the three versions presented by Acemoglu and Robinson. Highlighting the fragility of Liberty, the paper emphasizes the challenge of reaching and maintaining the narrow corridor where Liberty flourishes.

An additional chapter focuses on James Buchanan's perspective on freedom, derived from his book "The Limits of Liberty - between anarchy and Leviathan" (1975). The primary goal is to establish connections between Acemoglu and Robinson's arguments and Buchanan's views on Liberty, exploring both similarities and differences. The concluding chapter summarizes the main arguments, emphasizing the shared goal and significant similarities between Acemoglu and Robinson's concept of Liberty and Buchanan's perspective. The paper concludes by addressing potential differences in the distribution of roles between the state and society in both approaches. Despite potential variances, both perspectives share common goals and essential similarities.