Axulus
Veteran Member
Really fascinating podcast interview with Mike Munger about his book Choosing in Groups: Analytical Politics Revisitedhttp://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Groups-Analytical-Politics-Revisited/dp/1107699622/
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2015/02/michael_munger_1.html
This conversation really gets to the heart of some interesting topics in political theory.
Topics covered include:
-Discussion on group constitutions (how members are determined and the rules on how decisions are made)
-How democracy can be indeterminate and how the particular rules that determine how decisions are determined can often lead to different outcomes
-The problems that arise when there are three or more choices and the choice is determined democratically. There may be "multiple majorities" (such as in a situation where a majority prefers A over B, a majority prefers B over C, and a majority prefers C over A). The rules heavily influence the outcome in such situations to determine which majority prevails.
-Discussion on private groups vs. the state - the differences between groups where you explicitly agree to the rules before joining and where exit provisions exist vs. the "implicit" agreement in a state that you are born into.
-Uses examples from the Lewis and Clark expedition, where there were several critical decisions that had to be made where their life was on the line at several points along the journey.
-Discussion on how the only democracies that survive are those that do not have the majority determine all of the outcomes. How such democracies with strict majoritarian rule lead to chaos and instability. Democracies that survive have several checks/balances and compromises (such as vetos, constitutions that require super majorities to alter, sometimes have a bicameral legislature, etc.)
-As a result of these compromises that tend to come about organically and/or with the unique experience of the country in question, it means that "democracy" can't just be suddenly imposed or instantly transformed within a country (which kind of democracy with what sort of rules are you going to impose or transition to? If the democracy is viewed is illegitimate by the population, it leads to instability and chaos).
If you are interested in political philosophy and/or group choice, this podcast is a must listen
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2015/02/michael_munger_1.html
This conversation really gets to the heart of some interesting topics in political theory.
Topics covered include:
-Discussion on group constitutions (how members are determined and the rules on how decisions are made)
-How democracy can be indeterminate and how the particular rules that determine how decisions are determined can often lead to different outcomes
-The problems that arise when there are three or more choices and the choice is determined democratically. There may be "multiple majorities" (such as in a situation where a majority prefers A over B, a majority prefers B over C, and a majority prefers C over A). The rules heavily influence the outcome in such situations to determine which majority prevails.
-Discussion on private groups vs. the state - the differences between groups where you explicitly agree to the rules before joining and where exit provisions exist vs. the "implicit" agreement in a state that you are born into.
-Uses examples from the Lewis and Clark expedition, where there were several critical decisions that had to be made where their life was on the line at several points along the journey.
-Discussion on how the only democracies that survive are those that do not have the majority determine all of the outcomes. How such democracies with strict majoritarian rule lead to chaos and instability. Democracies that survive have several checks/balances and compromises (such as vetos, constitutions that require super majorities to alter, sometimes have a bicameral legislature, etc.)
-As a result of these compromises that tend to come about organically and/or with the unique experience of the country in question, it means that "democracy" can't just be suddenly imposed or instantly transformed within a country (which kind of democracy with what sort of rules are you going to impose or transition to? If the democracy is viewed is illegitimate by the population, it leads to instability and chaos).
If you are interested in political philosophy and/or group choice, this podcast is a must listen
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