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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Alastair Smith

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

by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita (Author), Alastair Smith (Author)

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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.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

PublicAffairs
Publication date

July 31, 2012
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1610391845
ISBN-13

978-1610391849
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Editorial Reviews

Review

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

About the Author

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. He is the author of sixteen books, including The Predictioneer's Game.

Alastair Smith is professor of politics at New York University. The recipient of three grants from the National Science Foundation and author of three books, he was chosen as the 2005 Karl Deutsch Award winner, given biennially to the best international relations scholar under the age of forty. They are also the authors of The Spoils of War: Greed, Power, and the Conflicts That Made Our Greatest Presidents.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs; Illustrated edition (July 31, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1610391845
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1610391849
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #51,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #49 in Non-US Legal Systems (Books)
- #50 in Comparative Politics
- #57 in Fascism (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,042 ratings

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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is Professor of Politics at New York University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
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Alastair Smith
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Vincent Poirier

A calculus for politics

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016

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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 first. Only then can the dictator take his share. If there is any surplus, the dictator can build a school or a hospital if he or she feels like it.

This rule of course applies to all dictatorships, say authors Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith, but it also applies just as surely to liberal democracies. It is the size of a ruler’s coalition of supporters that makes a state one or the other.

In a dictatorship, the ruler controls the money and pays off a few cronies, a few generals for instance, who can coerce and control the citizens. The cronies must pay their team, so the ruler must pay his cronies well so they can in turn pay their soldiers. As long as the ruler has the money for all this, nothing will topple him. The money can come from international aid, from income taxes on the citizens or from selling natural resources.

In a liberal democracy, the ruler has much less control over the money. For one thing, most of a country's budget is fixed, civil service pensions, social security, military commitments, etc. For another, the ruler must follow the law when spending what is not already earmarked. He can't just write blank checks to whom he please.

But once those differences are taken into account, power inevitably follows the same principles: all government is about paying off the ruler's coalition.

Effective rulers keep their coalitions small. A city in California did this by relying on voter apathy. Hardly any one voted in municipal elections so that a few hundred voters in effect controlled the budget and paid themselves lavish salaries.

To pay the coalition in poor countries, the dictator insists on handling any cash given as aid; he’ll redistribute it and if the needy are very lucky they’ll get a tiny bit of it. In rich dictatorships, the dictator sells oil or metals or any other valuable commodity and keeps the money for his cronies and himself while providing minimal health and education services to the poor, if they really have to. In a

The same rules apply in rich countries: the ruler pays off the electors with universities, infrastructure and healthcare. And he will still get kicked out in a few years because inevitably the large coalition will feel it isn’t getting enough.

This is not a libertarian manifesto! The authors are quite clear: the answer is MORE government, not less, or at least much more of the good kind of government.

First, we should aim for a larger coalition of cronies, a coalition that in effect includes every citizen. That way, the only way for the ruler to pay off the cronies is to deliver public goods that pay off everyone.

Second, we should improve governance. That way policy decisions are made more transparently and the money can’t be easily diverted to a small clique of hidden enforcers.

My only complaint with the Dictator’s Handbook is its relentlessly cynical tone; but maybe the authors are simply being honest.

Vincent Poirier, Montreal

123 people found this helpful

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Jonathan

Overly simplistic but well argued

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2018

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This certainly isn't the greatest work of political theory but it is far from being without merit. The authors make a valid case for the functioning of politics in democratic and autocratic modern states with a survey of many modern revolutions, wars, and events. While they paint a stark, and cynical, picture of politics I can't help but feel that they are woefully ignorant of the vast majority of history (and I would argue, political philosophy). My point about their research of the modern period is just that; their analysis is largely limited to modern politics rather than the whole slew of history. Therefore we get such terrible over-generalizations such as democracies (including the modern USA and other Western liberal states and the Venetian Merchant Republic confusing grouped together) and autocracies (wherein Catholic Medieval Monarchies and Islamic Military Juntas are given the same consideration and breath). Unfortunately history, and the world of politics writ large, are not so easily categorized. Perhaps their analysis correct for modern states, but it fails to do justice to the myriad of states which have existed throughout history.

31 people found this helpful

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D. Bonness

I would say the speed required reading, but if it was, it'd be banned

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017

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You ever get that feeling of realization that a fresh perspective gives you not only in how to do something but how you look at the rest of the world, past present and future? This books look at politics in general not only explains the behavior of politicians, but the behavior of human society in its natural state. By this I mean forget the alpha dog reeking of testosterone and short on brains persona, in fact other than on TV has that sort of leader ever held power for any length of time, if at all? No, instead look at the leader that puts their survival first and knows how to do it and you'll find humanities true leaders. I'm talking about the guy who talks up crowd, gets them wanting blood, then sets them loose while they stay behind the walls with their friends and the money. Or the person who controls a desired resource or commodity only they can provide that makes the supposed head of state kiss their ass. Or the woman who sets up a hidden camera in her bedroom to use as blackmail on her lover to get something overlooked.

In short, this book phrases human society and the need for survival as politics to explain a politicians behavior but it really applies to everything that has a hierarchy, which really everything does.

I genuinely recommend this book to be read not only buy those wishing to understand why politicians act the way they do , but who need help in understanding why their not getting what they want from their job, their relationships and their life as well as where they place in human societies hire Cathy and how to improve it.

24 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mash

Politics without any holier-than-thou drivel.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2017

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The authors' contention is that the behaviour of any government is determined by the relative proportions of three groups -- the core coalition, people with influence on the coalition, and those without influence on the coalition -- and not on any moral distinction. Dictators act the way they do not because they are necessarily bad, but because despotic behaviours are the optimal strategy in their circumstances. In particular, to retain loyalty of their small coalitions, they have to favour private rewards to their coalition over actions that increase public welfare. Conversely, democratic leaders typically act less tyrannically because it is the winning strategy in their circumstances, not because they care about the public. The authors explore the manifold ways this phenomenon plays out and briefly make suggestions about how to change the circumstances in a way that promotes more democratic governance. They make the case compellingly and with good humour. An enjoyable read indeed!

18 people found this helpful

L. M. Hohmann

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS ABOUT POLITICS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

To wit, and to quote:

“The modern vernacular of politics and international relations, from balances of power and hegemony of partisanship and national interest, is the stuff of high school civics and nightly news punditry. And so, you may be delighted – or disappointed – to hear that this particular book of politics is not concerned with any of this. Our account of politics is primarily about what ‘is’, and why what is, is.

“There are certain common principles behind bettering the world – whether we are looking at the welfare of shareholders in publicly traded corporations, the quality of life for citizens in a democracy or the conditions under which billions live in oppressive and impoverished third-world countries. These commonalities need to be laid bare before we tackle the specifics of fixing particular problems in particular places.”

Anyone knowingly not reading this book will remain ignorant of these communalities; reading it will not make you a genius either, but reading will leave you a lot less of a politically innocent nincompoop than before – and I speak of personal experience here.

26 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Masterpiece!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

I quickly became really fond of the writing style of these authors. I received the book yesterday so I'm still not far into it but every time I grab the book, I can't put it down.

The book describes to us how the entire political system is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, that the election of a president is only the beginning, and the real game happens within the 4/5 years the president gets to rule. What game is this? Well, pretty much the game of pleasing those who helped to put you in power, lest you get impeached and replaced by someone who will.

7 people found this helpful

MacGregor

Fine Understanding, should be universal reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great understanding regarding politics, all political pleaders trend towards dictatorship, nowhere better examples ion democracies in which the leader(s) cannot persuade the democratic vote to agree with themselves and their 'selfish' cronies. Read this and think again on 'Corbyns' and 'Sturgeons' in the UK?

4 people found this helpful

Dr Dombo

Power corrupts and corruption empowers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

Based on a very simple model of human governance, the authors provide lucid and compelling insights into the realities of power structures that apply to anything from companies to FIFA to countries. These insights are often depressing or at least sobering, sometimes counter-intuitive and undermining one's faith in humanity, but hard to argue with. One example is that foreign aid is a great instrument if you want poverty and tyrannical regimes to persist...

15 people found this helpful

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