The Dictator's Handbook

Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics

De: Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith

Narrado por: Dan Woren

“A lucidly written, shrewdly argued meditation on how democrats and dictators preserve political authority.” —Wall Street Journal

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith’s canonical book on political science turns conventional wisdom on its head. They start from a single proposition: leaders do whatever keeps them in power. They don’t care about the “national interest”—or even their subjects—unless they must. As Bueno de Mesquita and Smith show, 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. And it is also the key to returning power to the people.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2011 Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith (P)2022 PublicAffairs

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

The role coalitions play in the success or effectiveness of political leaders

After listening to a few pages of the audiobook, i was tempted to give up on it (basically because I despise dictators). However, I became engrossed in the frankness and clarity of the author’s (and the recording’s) descriptions and explanations for the real politik of dictatorships, some of which is relevant to democratically elected leaders.

Dry

Hard to get into, doesn’t go into details very well. Gives a broad overview of most circumstances and repeats a lot of the same information over and over again. Seemingly biased about the US politics concerning the most recent election, considering it covers fraud and corruption in other countries voting practices yet leaves out the 2020 election allegations.

An eye opening experience.

I enjoyed the historical context in which it was made well documented. A must read for anyone interested in political history.

Abundance of Statistics.

Good detailed dive into the fundamentals of political power dynamics. Authors discuss the causes and effects of the two major political power structures - autocratic and democratic. They provide abundant statistics and graphs to support their models and then weave examples and anecdotes throughout. Great read for today's changing world. I expect most of the hypothesis will still be relevent a century from now.

Deep insights and revelations

I wish I had read this book earlier in life, the world would have been easier to understand. The authors outline rules of leadership that explain the actual behavior of national and corporate leaders. Essential insights needed to approach some of our intractable social and economic problems.

Trump derangement syndrome?

The book starts out ok. The third world information and history is great. But when the author goes into US politics and economics, he definitely has a side he is rooting. I don’t know if he could be more obvious. I was really hoping for a none partisan book on dictatorship. Oh well. Be advised this author may a tendency of TDS.

Brilliant Insight, Tainted by Political Bias

Fascinating insight into power and corruption, with thought provoking recommendations. Credibility of the authors is somewhat tainted by political bias. They exhibit a penchant for picking Republicans as examples of negative behaviors while often steering away or softening examples involving Democrats. Their equating of illegal activity that occurred during January 6th 2021 Capitol Hill protests with the WWII attack on Pearl Harbor is unhinged from reality. Though framed in a way convenient to the narrative of the book, conscious or unconscious author bias detracts from an otherwise brilliant work.

A solid grasp of the concepts—until recent times.

The author does a great job getting into the mechanics of the how and the why of human power dynamics in social structures—but then seems to throw them all out the window after Trump’s election in 2016. Perhaps he did not want to anger the current set of “key supporters.” His apparent sudden naïveté and myopic assessment of current times is surprising to the point where it almost seems intentional.

Extremely thought provoking

It's been a few weeks since I listened to this book, but I find myself thinking about it again and again. Very apt for these turmoil times.

Impressive and comprehensive look at the world of politics and how staying in power actually works

I love how easy to understand the authors make this misunderstood topic for most people. It sheds light on how leaders gain power and what they must do to keep it. And the way that affects the people who they have power with or over.