In the shadow of violence

Mohammad Fazeli has summarized the book *‘Violence and Social Orders‘* in five parts. This book, one of the final works by Douglass North, was written after his 90th birthday in collaboration with Barry Weingast, a political science professor at Stanford University, and John Wallis, an economic historian. It offers a unique perspective on the history of development. The book examines the theory of violence and social orders in several developing countries. While it provides a historical interpretation of the transformations in European societies, the authors use this historical understanding to critique conventional development policies. In the final chapter, they discuss the theoretical implications of this alternative view of history. The book introduces distinct theoretical hypotheses, making it highly engaging for those interested in political and economic development. This work challenges many of the conventional teachings on political and economic development in Iran.