The Advanced Study Institute of Asia at SGT University, hosted the inaugural lecture of its ASIA Distinguished Lecture Series by 𝐃𝐫. Rajat M. Nag
𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫:
Dr. Nag is concurrently a Distinguished Fellow at ASIA, New Delhi and the Emerging Markets Forum, Washington, D.C, He is also a Distinguished Professor at the Beijing Normal University, Beijing. He previously served as the Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank, where he played a key role in shaping development policy across Asia. His recent co-authored book, “From Here to Denmark: the importance of institutions for good governance (Oxford University Press, 2023)”, examined the challenges of institutional development and governance.
The Quiet Unmaking: How Institutions Decay from Within
Drawing on varied historical experiences of societies across diverse geographies and time- from the Roman Republic through the Mauryan Empire to the Ming Dynasty, and on to twentieth century Weimar Germany, and Argentina, the lecture will focus on the slow, cumulative processes through which institutions gradually erode. The result is often a “Quiet Unmaking” rather than a dramatic, sudden collapse. The aim is to understand some recurring patterns of institutional weakening over time—and what they reveal about the fragility and resilience of organized societies.
