Sunday, March 22, 2020

10% Less Democracy: Why You Should Trust Elites a Little More and the Masses a Little Less (Garett Jones)

10% Less Democracy: Why You Should Trust Elites a Little More and the Masses a Little Less is in some ways a rather fitting book to release in a year with a US Presidential Election. Garett Jones, a former Senate staffer and current professor of economics at George Mason University, articulates several arguments in favor of reducing some of the sway that the masses have in the election process through a series of reforms. The reforms range from practical (such as modestly increasing the length of terms of elected office) to ones that will be harder to implement and may be unrealistic politically (such as education-based requirements to vote).

Jones’s arguments are centered around the idea that reforms are necessary to improve Western government and to dampen the influence of populism that has arisen over the past decade in many circles of Western government. His arguments to counter that are to place trust in the hands of those who are experts to make the best informed decisions. His arguments are rooted in statistical analysis, with the strongest analysis coming out in his arguments regarding interest rates.

The title feels like a bit of a misnomer; Jones isn’t advocating tyrannical rule or removing the ability to vote for individuals. However, he is advocating for change, even though some of his reforms may be difficult to implement. 10% Less Democracy is a worthwhile read if you are interested in political science or economics.

MY RATING - 4