EconTalk | 12 February 2007 | 1h 06m | Listen Later | iTunes
Interview with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita about the incentives facing dictators and democratic leaders. Both face competition from rivals and try to please their constituents and cronies to stay in power. He applies his ‘selectorate’ framing to foreign aid, the Middle East, Venezuela, the potential for China’s evolution to a more democratic system, and Cuba. Along the way, he explains why true democracy is more than just elections – it depends crucially on freedom of assembly and freedom of the press.
I think this is the oldest item on *The Podcast Browser*, as of May 2019.
It is the oldest – just. I try to post stuff that is timeless. There’s lots of great material in older episodes of EconTalk and In Our Time, especially.