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EconTalk

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on the Nations, States, and Scale

Jul 11, 2022
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a renowned scholar and author, shares his insights on the complexities of governance and national identity. He discusses the challenges larger nations face in curating a cohesive identity and advocates for smaller, decentralized systems. Taleb provides a framework for understanding Russia's invasion of Ukraine while contrasting it with the successful federal structure of the U.S. He emphasizes the virtues of local accountability and how smaller entities can promote better governance, drawing on historical and contemporary examples.
01:05:16

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Smaller units foster better governance due to enhanced accountability and efficiency.
  • City-states prioritize commerce and local governance, contrasting with expansionist nation-states.

Deep dives

The concept of nation-states and their historical development

The podcast episode delves into the modern concept of nation-states and their historical evolution. It explores how the notions of nations and states evolved over time, touching on examples like the French and Turkish transformations into nation-states. It discusses the impact on ethnic identities and the intolerance inherent in nation-states.

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