Tyler Cowen avatar

Dexa/Tyler Cowen

Learn more
Published Oct 1, 2015

Dani Rodrik on Why the World is Second Best, at Best | Conversations with Tyler

Economist Dani Rodrik delves into the intricacies of premature deindustrialization in developing economies, the shifting role of industrial policy, and the unique contributions of manufacturing, while also unraveling Turkey's socio-economic challenges and the global economic trilemma involving democracy, national sovereignty, and integration.
Episode Highlights
Conversations with Tyler logo

Topics covered

Popular Clips

Questions from this episode

Episode Highlights

  • Turkey's Puzzle

    explores the complexities behind Turkey's socio-economic development, attributing it to both structural and agency factors. He highlights how historical conditions, like the unfavorable global division of labor and the impact of Western industrialization, have shaped Turkey's trajectory. Rodrik notes that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's reforms, while modernizing, also excluded significant groups, creating lasting socio-political challenges 1.

    The fact that Turkey is a relatively secular country with a large middle class is the result of his top-down, extremely brutal, extremely narrow-minded view of what it meant to be a modern nation state.

    ---

    Rodrik's lifelong inquiry into why Turkey remains less developed than Western nations underscores his broader research themes 2.

       

    Mediterranean Shifts

    The Eastern Mediterranean's historical shifts have deeply influenced its current socio-political landscape. discusses the rise of nationalism and the formation of nation-states as pivotal changes that altered the region's multicultural harmony. He argues that the mobilization of nationalist sentiments preceded the development of liberal ideas, complicating the integration of democratic principles 3.

    In the eastern Mediterranean, places like Turkey, we're trying to create liberalism after you had a nationalist mobilization.

    ---

    Rodrik also addresses the Kurdish issue, suggesting that political exploitation rather than structural barriers hinders resolution 4.

       

    European Issues

    examines the structural issues in Europe, particularly the role of agriculture in shaping political and economic development. He references Barrington Moore's analysis of how agricultural commercialization influenced democratic institutions in Western Europe, contrasting it with Central Europe's challenges 5.

    If France was not in Western Europe but in Eastern Europe, I don't think it would be the kind of democracy or the kind of industrial economy it came to be.

    ---

    Rodrik's Trilemma highlights the Eurozone's policy dilemma, emphasizing the trade-offs between democracy, sovereignty, and economic integration 6.

Related Episodes