James A.Robinson

The people who suffer from the extractive economic institutions cannot hope for absolutist rulers to voluntarily change political institutions and redistribute power in society. The only way to change these political institutions is to force the elite to create more pluralistic institutions.

Wael Khalil, the software engineer and blogger who emerged as one of the leaders of the Egyptian protest movement,

Not only do you risk robbery, but getting all the permissions and greasing all the palms just to open is no easy endeavor

Other aspects, such as the extent to which people trust each other or are able to cooperate, are important but they are mostly an outcome of institutions, not an independent cause

we will show, poor countries are poor because those who have power make choices that create poverty.

They get it wrong not by mistake or ignorance but on purpose.