A video from 7 years ago by CGP Grey that talks about how democracy and dictatorships run and I find it an interesting look at the general politics and how it effects how a country is run when compared to today’s landscape
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This video, and the book it’s based on, unironically started my transition from neoliberal to democratic socialist.
Which I think is funny, because I don’t think the author, Bruce Bueno De Mesquita is particularly leftist.
I assume the video is based on “The Dictator’s Handbook” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator’s_Handbook?
The video, helps for me, conceptualise the rationale where one sees some of the decisions that take place in the world.
Makes me think past an individual and questions how an action is targeted for a result.
That’s right.
While the video is a good summary of the framing of the book (the selectorate theory of politics), I still recommend reading the book if you find the topic interesting. They go into a bunch of case studies on how you can apply the framing in wildly different circumstances, and make a very compelling case for how increasing the numbers of participants in a system improves the outcomes for everyone involved.
The video had a good example on how important voting in a functional democracy is, as it applies pressure and weakens the grip of stronger “keys” as the ones in charge must try to balance self-interest with survival. It also shows how this power can also be used against itself as those in charge try to manipulate the system towards a desired outcome.
Also thank you for confirming what book the video is based on
