Ten years ago, NYU political scientists Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith wrote "The Dictator's Handbook," which posited that all political leaders — from autocrats to democratically-elected officials — are governed by an uncomfortably similar set of rules and incentives. We thought now’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at their model and re-learn the dos and don’ts of political power. We discuss the Trump presidency, the Electoral College, voter fraud, jolly old Putin, and a variety of delectable topics to get you revved up and ready for election day.
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[5:55] The basic principles of the theory
[13:00] Democracies & Dictatorships, a sliding scale
[19:56] It’s a mess, but we’re course-correcting
[23:05] The problem with the Electoral College (it’s not what you think)
[29: 21] All leaders want to shrink their coalition (on gerrymandering, sore loser laws, and Tanzania)
[33:05] The people push back
[35:25] How vote fraud actually happens
[37:45] On social media (the information/disinformation arms race)
[49:21] Universities are not democracies
[54:46] Which companies win, which commit fraud
[1:00:31] What we get wrong about foreign aid (the Petro-State Problem}
[1:006:31] The liberalizing myth
[1:08:44] The issue with inequity in democracy
[1:14:00] A Yang gang post-script
You Can Be a Dictator, Too (w/ Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith)