Are We Going to Have a Ten % Less Democracy?

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The old athenian syst representation by lot, right? Choose members of the legislature more or less randomly. Or the venetian system has a random element in it. The old renaissance vention system. Good idea or a bad idea? When can it work? These systems seem to work in small polities, right? Small government seem to work well with a aversion of election by lot. We should be selecting from the populace at random when we really want the most informed opinion of a typical person. That aligns the incentives well. For the united states, what is the most effective way, in your view, that you would want us to have ten % less democracy? What

Why is Garett Jones willing to write books about risky topics like the case for reducing democratic accountability? Is it the iconoclastic Mason econ culture? Supportive colleagues like Tyler? Those help, but what ultimately gives Garett peace of mind is that he’ll never have to go hungry because he has a broad and deep knowledge of econometric tools. It’s a skillset he recommends to all research economists precisely so they can take bigger risks in their careers—or at least be well-prepared to shape policy in an unelected position at a central bank.

Garett joined Tyler to discuss his book 10% Less Democracy, including why America shouldn’t be run by bondholders, what single reform would most effectively achieve more limited democracy, how markets shape cognitive skills, the three important P’s of the repeated prisoner’s dilemma, why French cuisine is still underrated, Buchanan vs. Tullock, Larry David vs. Seinfeld, the biggest mistake in Twitter macroeconomics, the biggest challenges facing the Mormon church, what studying to be a sommelier taught him about economics, the Garett Jones vision of America, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded January 10th, 2020 Other ways to connect

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