A groundbreaking new theory of the real rules of politics: leaders do whatever keeps them in power, regardless of the national interest.
As featured on the viral video Rules for Rulers, which has been viewed over 3 million times.
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith's canonical book on political science turned conventional wisdom on its head. They started from a single assertion: Leaders do whatever keeps them in power. They don't care about the "national interest"-or even their subjects-unless they have to.
This clever and accessible book shows that democracy is essentially just a convenient fiction. Governments do not differ in kind but only in the number of essential supporters, or backs that need scratching. The size of this group determines almost everything about politics: what leaders can get away with, and the quality of life or misery under them. The picture the authors paint is not pretty. But it just may be the truth, which is a good starting point for anyone seeking to improve human governance.
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"A thought-provoking analysis of why leaders do what they do. The authors provide a number of valuable insights, but at times rely too heavily on simplifications (reliance on a monetization of the leader/supporter dynamic) and absolutes. Though the overall gist of the idea they put forward is persuasive to me, these faults reinforce that their "selectorate theory" ought be used as an additional frame of reference rather than an entirely-reliable guide for how policy comes to be." — Sean (4 out of 5 stars)
"A thought-provoking analysis of why leaders do what they do. The authors provide a number of valuable insights, but at times rely too heavily on simplifications (reliance on a monetization of the leader/supporter dynamic) and absolutes. Though the overall gist of the idea they put forward is persuasive to me, these faults reinforce that their "selectorate theory" ought be used as an additional frame of reference rather than an entirely-reliable guide for how policy comes to be."
Simply the best book on politics written.... Every citizen should read this book.—CGP Grey
A lucidly written, shrewdly argued meditation on how democrats and dictators preserve political authority...Bueno de Mesquita and Smith are polymathic, drawing on economics, history, and political science to make their points...The reader will be hard-pressed to find a single government that doesn't largely operate according to Messrs. Bueno de Mesquita and Smith's model. So the next time a hand-wringing politician, Democrat or Republican, claims to be taking a position for the 'good of his country,'remember to replace the word 'country' with 'career.'—Wall Street Journal
Machiavelli's The Prince has a new rival. It's The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith.... This is a fantastically thought-provoking read. I found myself not wanting to agree but actually, for the most part, being convinced that the cynical analysis is the true one.—Enlightenment Economics
In this fascinating book Bueno de Mesquita and Smith spin out their view of governance: that all successful leaders, dictators and democrats, can best be understood as almost entirely driven by their own political survival-a view they characterize as 'cynical, but we fear accurate.' Yet as we follow the authors through their brilliant historical assessments of leaders' choices-from Caesar to Tammany Hall and the Green Bay Packers-we gradually realize that their brand of cynicism yields extremely realistic guidance about spreading the rule of law, decent government, and democracy. James Madison would have loved this book.—R. James Woolsey Director of Central Intelligence, 1993-1995, and Chairman, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
In this book, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith teach us to see dictatorship as just another form of politics, and from this perspective they deepen our understanding of all political systems.—Roger Myerson, Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago
" I was initially skeptical, but it turned out to be a good read. Only at the end I found out that this is the narration of an academic paper - which explains some of the slights in style. Highly recommended. "
" Five pages of content in 280 pages of fluff. Disappointing. "
" This is a clever title slapped onto a serious academic work about how easy it is become a power in local, state and national governments. The truly scary thing is that the process it describes is almost a cheat sheet on how to become the CEO of one of the multi-national conglomerates fixated on ruining the world. Nothing is run more like a dictatorship than our to-big-to-fail banks and corporations. This is not a fun read, but a necessary one. "
" Eye opening insight on how power is attained and retained at all levels of government be it corperate, democratic, monarchy, or dictatorship. Apologies for the grammar I read great authors I am not even a good writer. "
" A must read for everybody who is confronted with politics of power, as well on the political level as in the local chess club. "
" Shortest review ever: I'm not doing a 5 star endorsement of the material contained in this book, processing those ideas will take time, but I can definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in political science or the desire to be free from tyranny. "
" Extremely insightful with some fascinating examples drawn from historical and current contexts. I felt like I learned more about politics from this one book than everything else I've read before it, combined. "
" This should be required reading for students of politics, or anyone interested in international affairs or power in general. A fascinating new theory about how dictator's stay in power, with plenty of case studies and research to back it up. "
" It gets a little repetitive and redundant as it progresses but there are portions that are quite interesting. The historical references kept it interesting enough to finish. "
" Pulls back the curtains, and reveals how power really works (in democracies, dictatorships, and all the rest). "
" While this book is easy to read and never gets boring, its authors oversimplify a number of issues and don't seem to realize when they have contradicted themselves. More often than not, I could come up with a counterexample to whatever idea they were pushing. Save your time and pick a better book. "
" If you're looking for a "Grand Unified Theory" of political behavior without the ideological commitments that so many theorists have, this is pretty much it. Enjoy. "
" A really quite remarkable book that convincingly illustrates the real forces behind politics. A mind-expanding read. "
" A great book as an introduction to understanding politics. East to read and enjoyable. "
" For anyone that wants to make a positive change in this world, this is a must-read. This should be taught in policy schools around the world. If anyone at MIIS sees this, ask for this book to be added to the curriculum! "
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is the Julius Silver Professor of Politics and director of the Alexander Hamilton Center for Political Economy at New York University, as well as a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is the author of several books, including The Predictioneer’s Game; Principles of International Politics; Predicting Politics; Strategy, Risk and Personality in Coalition Politics; and the coauthor of many others. Bruce received his doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan in 1971 and a doctorate from the University of Groningen in 1999. He is the 2007 recipient of South Korea’s DMZ Peace Prize, and the recipient of many other academic honors for his teaching and research. Bruce lives with his wife, Arlene, in San Francisco and New York.
Alastair Smith is professor of politics at New York University. The recipient of three grants from the National Science Foundation, he was chosen as the 2005 Karl Deutsch Award winner, given biennially to the best international relations scholar under the age of forty. He is the author of Election Timing and coauthor of Punishing the Prince and The Logic of Political Survival, and his work has appeared frequently in academic journals and other publications.
Dan Woren is an American voice actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has worked extensively in animation, video games, and feature films. He is best known for his many roles in anime productions such as Bleach and as the voice of Sub-Zero in the video game Mortal Kombat.
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