F&D Magazine

Johan Norberg on What Makes and Breaks Golden Eras

JOHAN NORBERG

February 5, 2026

Courtesy of Johan Norberg
JOHAN NORBERG - Johan Norberg on What Makes and Breaks Golden Eras
75
In This Episode

The most prosperous of civilizations 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 civilizations. 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.


JOHAN NORBERG is a historian of ideas and senior fellow at the Cato Institute.

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