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The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics Paperback – July 31, 2012

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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita (Author)
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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita (Author), Alastair Smith (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 132 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: PublicAffairs; Reprint edition (July 31, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1610391845
  • ISBN-13: 978-1610391849
  • Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsAt times insightful, but also clumsy and US-centred
By Esn024 on January 15, 2012
Format: Hardcover
"The Dictator's Handbook" is a book of political theory that aims to follow in Machiavelli's footsteps. It is provocative and has a number of useful ideas, some of which are even backed up by convincing evidence in the book (the section on foreign aid was particularly nice). But at other times, I found reading it to be frustrating.

There are a number of things to keep in mind: first of all, it is very much a work of popular non-fiction, written in common-sense language for the average reader to understand. Many of the assertions made would not hold water in a scholarly discussion because the definitions aren't very carefully defined, and small but vital details are glossed over.

Despite attempting to rise above the fray and present an overall picture of the political world that is more accurate than its predecessors, the book is very much a product of insular American political culture, and often propagates American political myths. For example, its poorly-argued assertion that the more democratic a society, the lower its taxes (pg. 13, "taxes tend to be low when coalitions are large"), which would be quite surprising to the Scandinavian countries, not to mention (at the other extreme) Dubai.

Another example is the assertion on pg.6 that the United States "has one of the world's biggest winning coalitions both in absolute numbers and in proportion of the electorate" (the authors define this as meaning that the American government is beholden to no less than about one-fifth of the American population). This point, which aligns nicely with American popular opinion, underpins many of the book's arguments as the actions of America are contrasted with the actions of other, less democratic countries (with smaller winning coalitions).Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating theory. Good anecdotes. But the theory is poorly defended.
By Michael Nahas on September 21, 2012
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
(I agree with the review by Esn024.)

The authors put forth a theory: A leader spends most of his efforts just to keep his job. If the leader has to please only a few influential people to keep his job (e.g., the generals of the army), the leader is autocratic and many of the actions you associate with dictators becomes the "logical" thing to do if you want to keep your job. If the leader has to please many people, the leader is democratic and tends to do things that are good for the people.

It's a simple theory, but it (may) explain a lot of behavior. And it leads to some interesting consequences (e.g., autocrats want productive (but docile) workers, so they invest in health care and (limited) education.) Most of the examples are political, but the "leader" term applies to CEOs, mob bosses, and others.

This is a "wide-audience" book. It's not supposed to be "bogged down" with definitions and numbers and technical mumbo-jumbo. It's supposed to be a fun-to-read version of the theory. Still, I've read a lot of "wide-audience" books and, while this was fun to read, it wasn't very well crafted.

* It uses awkward terms: "leader" and "winning coalition" are fine, but "interchangables", "influentials" and "essentials" are unclear and too long.
* It does not clearly define these terms.
* It only gives a hazy definition of the theory. (Not much more than I gave above.)
* It does not have separate terms for "good policy" (effective at keeping job) vs. "good policy" (good for the populace).
* It doesn't define "good for the populace" at all.
* It doesn't do a strong job of convincing the reader that the theory is true.
* It has multiple examples where it's doubtful that their theory is the major thing at work.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAdvice to Dictators: Take Care of Your Coalition Above All
By David Kinchen on September 24, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Robert Rizzo -- nicknamed "Ratzo Rizzo" by L.A. Times Columnist Steve Lopez -- is featured prominently in a new book that rivals Machiavelli's famous "The Prince" in its scope, while being much more relevant to the 21st Century. Written by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics" (PublicAffairs, 352 pages, $27.99) is a good introduction to an academic discipline I'd never heard of, selectorate theory.

Rizzo, the former city manager of Bell, California, a small community south of Los Angeles, stayed in power because he had the support of the city council, which was effectively elected by 473 voters (out of 2,235 who actually voted). The 473 constituted the essential electorate.

The other two legs of this political tripod are the nominal selectorate -- everybody eligible to vote -- and the real selectorate. In the former Soviet Union, the real selectorate -- the winning coalition-- consisted of a few members of the Communist Party who chose the candidates (some would say this has been revived under the regime of Vladimir Putin, who has the power to reject potential candidates for office).

For eighteen years, the authors have been part of a team revolutionizing the study of politics by turning conventional wisdom on its head. They start 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.

Selectorate theory posits that the difference between tyrants and democrats is that there is no difference. Governments don't differ in kind but only in the number of essential supporters, or backs that need scratching.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFinally, you can understand modern politics.

This book should be required reading for anyone that wants to understand modern politics. Easy to read. Easy to understand.

Published 2 days ago by Vernard Martin
5.0 out of 5 starsEntertaining and insightful.

It's a good read. The book helps make sense of how dictators achieve and maintain power, as well as the actions of some politicians in Western Democracies, too.

Published 4 days ago by John D. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book for anyone interested in politics.

Published 4 days ago by R. Rex Parris
5.0 out of 5 starsA calculus for politics

No one rules alone and all rulers depend on a coalition of supporters to keep themselves in power. To keep their coalition's loyalty, they must pay them, and they must pay them... Read more

Published 7 days ago by Vincent Poirier
5.0 out of 5 starsPolitical Genius

It had never even occurred to me to think as the author has on the subject of politics. But the more I read, the more convinced I became. Read more

Published 8 days ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsExplains a lot about how the world works

I bought this book because of the CGP Grey video, Rules For Rulers, which was inspired by this book. Read more

Published 9 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Met expectations

Published 10 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsEye opener

Great book, it completely changed my appreciation of current events. A must read for anyone interested in how different countries came to be and where the future will lead us.

Published 11 days ago by Rafael Vazquez Rodrigues
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book

Great book, showed up in perfect condition, I'd highly recommend it.

Published 17 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsCompelling. I'm re-reading it now.

On page 25 the paperback says Reagan won the pro-choice vote in 1980 over pro-life Carter, but I can't find any evidence that Reagan was ever really pro-choice. Read more

Published 17 days ago by bt

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