While Americans argue over trade, immigration, and regulation, Why Nations Prosper goes to the countries already living with the consequences of those choices.

For most of history, everyone was poor. Then something changed. The Netherlands pioneered free markets in the 1600s and became the world's wealthiest nation. America followed the same path and became a global innovation powerhouse. But today, Western economic growth is slowing, debt is mounting, and the principles that created prosperity are being questioned.

Entrepreneur Henrik Ekelund has studied every growth revolution over the last 2,000 years. He's found that prosperity isn't luck or natural resources. It’s a choice. Three fundamental forces drive it: Freedom, Order, and Innovation. Nations that embrace these forces thrive. Those who abandon them fall behind.

In Vietnam, market reforms freed people to create. A war-torn nation transformed itself from starvation to one of the world's fastest-growing economies, as entrepreneurs who were once trapped in state-owned jobs now compete globally.

In Botswana, good governance and the rule of law turned diamond wealth into thriving businesses and education. Its people have opportunities. Meanwhile, neighboring countries with identical resources remain trapped in poverty and corruption.

In Chile, after decades of political chaos, the nation embraced stable democracy and free markets. It emerged from dictatorship to become Latin America's innovation leader, where scientists now solve real-world problems and families enjoy rising living standards.

But Ekelund doesn't avoid hard truths about America. When Detroit's automakers faced competition in the 1980s, government protections seemed like they'd save jobs. Instead, hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods. The counterexample is Silicon Valley, still the most innovative place on Earth, proving what happens when America embraces the right principles.

Featuring voices from Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Botswanian guides, Chilean scientists, and economists who've witnessed these transformations firsthand, this personal exploration reveals that prosperity's drivers are known.