In this episode, economist, political scientist, and author James A. Robinson shares his insights on a varied range of topics including the influence of culture, the vicious cycle of extractive institutions, and establishing trust in the government. He also highlights the need for understanding context when it comes to the use of economic models as basis forming policies.  Professor Robinson also gives his thoughts on where he would choose to live 50 years from now.  0:00 Introduction 1:29 Career 8:13 Interplay of culture and institutions 22:41 Political Economy 38:22 Building and Developing an Effective State 48:51 Thought Experiment