WASHINGTON, USA – The most prosperous of civilisations were the most open. The Romans, for example, expanded their empire by integrating the populations they conquered, creating a melting pot of new ideas.
Johan Norberg’s latest book, Peak Human, examines the rise and fall of seven golden age civilisations.
In this podcast, he says that if openness to learning and trade are what great societies make, building walls to protect their dominance often sparks their demise. Transcript Read the article in the IMF’s Finance & Development magazine.