Contemporary · Governance & Power · Book
The Dictator's Handbook & Selectorate Theory
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith · 2011
"Selectorate theory says leaders survive by rewarding the small coalition that actually keeps them in power, not the broader population — so policy that looks 'irrational' often makes perfect sense as coalition maintenance."
Bueno de Mesquita opened The Dictator's Handbook with a cold rule: no leader ever ruled alone — every ruler's first job is to keep the few who can actually remove him paid and loyal.
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Checks and Balances & the Separation of Powers
"Montesquieu and the Federalists argued that concentrating power in one body makes its abuse inevitable — so liberty requires splitting power across competing institutions that can check each other."
Montesquieu / The Federalists · TreatiseContinue→