Scott Gates, James Robinson, Kristian Berg Harpviken. Agnete Schjønsby / PRIO
Scott Gates, James Robinson, Kristian Berg Harpviken. Agnete Schjønsby / PRIO

James Robinson, who heads the newly established Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago, visited PRIO today.

Robinson is co-author (with Daron Acemoglu) of the best-selling Why Nations Fail – The origins of power, prosperity and poverty, which was a topic for conversation. Discussions focused on where research on peace and conflict should be going next; what are the big questions that are in need for solid empirically based scrutiny? Tricks of the trade – how to effectively secure talent, money, and policy interest in solid scholarly work was also discussed at length, as were possibilities for institutional collaboration between the Pearson Institute and PRIO.