The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities: Veritas Paperbacks

“A convincing book that could make a big difference in the way we think about modern economic problems.”—Peter Passell, New York Times Book Review

“A canonical account of how economies become less flexible and dynamic as they age. . . . Today, as the U.S. limps from crisis to crisis, amid slow productivity growth, high inequality, and increasing political dysfunction, Olson’s critique feels urgently relevant.”—Walter Frick, Harvard Business Review

“[Crises in housing, clean energy, health care, and transportation] . . . are all interlinked problems, and perhaps the best place to start understanding these challenges is a short book from 1982 by economist Mancur Olson, humbly titled The Rise and Decline of Nations.”—Dylan Matthews, Vox

Mançur Lloyd Olson Jr. was an American economist and political scientist who taught at the University of Maryland, College Park. Edward L. Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University.