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Big Ideas

What’s the secret to governments making wise decisions?

Jan 30, 2025
Zachary Shore, a Professor specializing in governmental decision-making, discusses the intricate ingredients for wise governance. He delves into qualities like insight and creativity crucial for better decisions. Historical examples reveal how wisdom has shaped leadership, contrasting different approaches post-WWII. Shore emphasizes the need for empathy in leaders and innovative reforms to nurture these traits. He also tackles the challenges of social media, stressing the balance between emotional storytelling and factual clarity in political discourse.
53:33

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Understanding the dynamics of folly, friction, and empathy is essential for cultivating wise governmental decisions.
  • Historical instances reveal that crises often catalyze transformative choices, showing how adversity can lead to better governance outcomes.

Deep dives

The Quest for Wisdom in Governance

Governance can be viewed through the lens of wisdom, and certain key elements are necessary to cultivate wise policies. Insight is crucial to understanding the root causes of problems, while prudence allows for a thoughtful approach to addressing these issues. Furthermore, creativity is essential for problem-solving, and pragmatism ensures that proposed solutions can be realistically implemented. However, historical analysis shows that wise decisions often do not adhere to these tidy principles, as many politicians prioritize self-interest and power struggles over the common good.

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