The 2012 seminal book, Why Nations Fail by Nobel Laureates Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, concludes that the success or failure of nations hinges primarily on their institutions—not geography, culture, or other factors. It’s an insightful theory, but my experiences on the ground suggest there’s a layer of complexity that their research doesn’t fully address. Last month, heavy rains washed away a bridge leading to our construction site, cutting off our community and many residents from the city and its essential facilities. In response, the residents ingeniously constructed a makeshift bridge each day—knowing it would be swept away by the end of the day, only to rebuild it again the next morning. This repeated effort wasn’t a testament to resilience; it was a glaring example of institutional failure. First, for not building a safe, permanent bridge, and second, for being unable to repair it promptly once it failed. Ironically, while this