Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on Democracies and Dictatorships

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.

2 thoughts on “Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on Democracies and Dictatorships

    1. 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.

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