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Power and Progress
Book

Power and Progress

Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity

Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
Public Affairs, 2023

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

In this deep dive into the history of innovation, MIT economists Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson adeptly illustrate that humans have been responsible for some remarkable technological advancements, even during seemingly fallow periods like the Middle Ages. But, they argue, the benefits of technical progress tend to accrue almost entirely to those in power; today, Big Tech concentrates greater wealth into fewer hands. Acemoglu and Johnson call for interventions that can help guide progress, including in AI development, while ensuring that its gains go to more people.

Take-Aways

  • “Techno-optimism” has paid dividends but also exacted tolls.
  • The Panama Canal remains a cautionary tale in the overarching story of progress.
  • Even during the Middle Ages, humans created many technical advances.

About the Authors

Daron Acemoglu is a professor at MIT and the co-author of The Narrow Corridor and Why Nations Fail. Simon Johnson is a professor at the MIT Sloan School and was formerly chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. He is the co-author of Jump-Starting America and 13 Bankers.

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