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Why are small and culturally homogeneous nation-states in the advanced capitalist world so prosperous? Examining how Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland managed the 2008 financial crisis, The Paradox of Vulnerability shows that this is not an accident. John Campbell and John Hall argue that a prolonged sense of vulnerability within both the state and the nation encourages the development of institutions that enable decision makers to act together quickly in order to survive, especially during a crisis. The Paradox of Vulnerability demonstrates how the size and culture of a nation contribute in significant ways to its ability to handle political and economic pressures and challenges.

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"The Paradox of Vulnerability makes an important contribution to our understanding of why different states respond differently to similar economic shocks, and it starts an important conversation that we will want to address in this postcrisis - or between-crisis - period."--Erik Jones, Johns Hopkins University

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John L. Campbell is the Class of 1925 Professor of Sociology at Dartmouth College and professor of political economy at the Copenhagen Business School. John A. Hall is the James McGill Professor of Comparative Historical Sociology at McGill University. They are the coauthors of The World of States.

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