I'll second the recommendation for The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. It lays out a systematic way of thinking about

I'll second the recommendation for The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. It lays out a systematic way of thinking about political development and decay. I wrote a review here: http://pragmaticpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/2011/09/im-reading-francis-fukuyama-s-latest.html http://pragmaticpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/2011/09/im-rea...