~ NLWCGA ~ No Leader Whatsoever Can Govern Alone

~ GDNDIK-TDATDOTSAWC-LLDODAAC-OAC ~ Governments Do Not Differ In Kind – They Differ Along The Dimensions Of Their Selectorates And Winning Coalitions – Labels Like Democracy Or Dictatorship Are A Convenience – Only A Convenience

~ TKBH-ALNM-ECTMF ~ To Keep Backers Happy – A Leader Needs Money – Extraction Can Take Many Forms

~ WEFETBBOUTWOSPC-TD ~ When Essential Followers Expect To Be Better Off Under The Wing Of Some Political Challenger – They Desert

~ MSTBAFSUTECOFAITAMAAC ~ Murder Seems To Be A Favored Solution Under The Extreme Conditions Of Fear And Insecurity That Accompany Monarchic And Autocratic Succession

~ WPSTAAAICTITNOPTWTAB ~ What Politicians Seek To Avoid Are Any Institutional Changes That Increase The Number Of People To Whom They Are Beholden

~ DACIATPFCTPIAD ~ Divide And Conquer Is A Terrific Principle For Coming To Power In A Democracy

~ DAGJINETEPS ~ Doing A Good Job Is Not Enough Ensure Political Survival

~ TTMICOACA:LLL ~ The Three Most Important Characteristics Of A Coalition Are: Loyalty; Loyalty; Loyalty

~ DFSAALTSBMM ~ Debt Forgiveness Simply Allows Autocratic Leaders To Start Borrowing More Money

~ WKTDRAATETIO-DFWTPOSDNW ~ We Know That Debt Relief Allows Autocrats To Entrench Themselves In Office – Debt Forgiveness With The Promise Of Subsequent Democratization Never Works

~ TRTOG:AMTKTCH-B-NTH-A-PJETKTIFRUIR-BNEOTSOSAWCMACOAR ~ The Real Task Of Governing: Allocating Money To Keep The Coalition Happy – But – Not Too Happy – And Providing Just Enough To Keep The Interchangeables From Rising Up In Revolt – Better Not Err On The Side Of Shortchanging Anyone Who Could Mount A Coup Or A Revolution

~ KTFAH-ATMAUTRUAY-ISETHT-S-S-I-P-AAUTR ~ Keep Them Fat And Happy – And The Masses Are Unlikely To Rise Up Against You – It Seems Equally True However That – Sick – Starving – Ignorant – People – Are Also Unlikely To Revolt

~ WMR?-IITGIB-TWANINC-TFATWACTR-TLACAHNRTR ~ Who Makes Revolution? – It Is The Great In-Between – Those Who Are Neither Immiserated Nor Coddled – The Former Are Too Weak And Cowered To Revolt – The Latter Are Content And Have No Reason To Revolt

~ TMRMTAGLFOPRTPOIIITFODOABCTCPSPTGFTP ~ The Most Reliable Means To A Good Life For Ordinary People Remains The Presence Of Institutional Incentives In The Form Of Dependence On A Big Coalition That Compels Power-Seeking Politicians To Govern For The People

~ IDAL? ~ Is Democracy A Luxury?

~ HEPAAPTTA-ASAMSTLEO ~ Highly Educated People Are A Potential Threat To Autocrats – And So Autocrats Make Sure To Limit Educational Opportunity

~ FA-MSOP-LIALC-WAYAFCTTE-IMW ~ For Autocrats – Money Spent On People – Like Infants And Little Children – Who Are Years Away From Contributing To The Economy – Is Money Wasted

~ RAVCTBAIIETHTTC-TMTAGSOG-WITMCTA-B-HACTWCCLT-NRPC-P-E-O-O-TUTA ~ Roads Are Very Costly To Build And It Is Easy To Hide Their True Costs – This Makes Them A Good Source Of Graft – Which In Turn Makes Constructing Them Attractive – But – Having A Country Too Well Connected Can Lead To – New Regional Power Centers – Political – Economic – Or – Otherwise – That Undermine The Autocrat

~ TWMCRAALBASC ~ The World’s Most Corrupt Regimes Are Always Led By A Small Coalition

~ WS:SCAW ~ Wall Street: Small Coalitions At Work

~ MTATDISAOBW ~ More Than A Trillion Dollars Is Spent Annually On Bribes Worldwide

~ LCPTADRITTTCLFG ~ Leaders Can Put Themselves At Dire Risk If They Take Their Coalition’s Loyalty For Granted

~ AIGIEFPCFMRAIFLQ-T-TRPAS ~ Aid Is Given In Exchange For Policy Concessions Far More Readily And In Far Larger Quantities – Than – To Reduce Poverty And Suffering

~ WKTAWMBITPOGG-JAWKTMOTNIGTPWBG ~ We Know That Aid Works Much Better In The Presence Of Good Governance – Just As We Know That More Often Than Not It Goes To Places With Bad Governance

~ MREUSROAWA-OSOTSRCABWTIP ~ Many Revolutions End Up Simply Replacing One Autocracy With Another – On Some Occasions The Successor Regime Can Actually Be Worse Than Its Predecessor

~ OPWTEIRNBSCBD-TSWFTOITBOAE ~ Only People Willing To Engage In Really Nasty Behaviour Should Contemplate Becoming Dictators – The Softhearted Will Find Themselves Ousted In The Blink Of An Eye

~ NAWNRWOLWFARD-TATWMOP-TLHRTRTESWHTETP ~ Nations Awash With Natural Resource Wealth Or Lavished With Foreign Aid Rarely Democratize – They Are The World’s Most Oppressive Places – Their Leaders Have Resources To Reward Their Essential Supporters Without Having To Empower The People

~ JAWDFONL-FA-SBTTTAOPR-ANTIP ~ Just As With Debt Forgiveness Or New Loans – Foreign Aid – Should Be Tied To The Actuality Of Political Reform – And Not To Its Promise

~ WSTPTFNDWWW-NWTW ~ We Seem To Prefer That Foreign Nations Do What We Want – Not What They Want

~ WSNLTQFPBTWTLI ~ We Should Never Let The Quest For Perfection Block The Way To Lesser Improvement

~ EMIIGCRISIITWOPMOPOS ~ Even Minor Improvements In Governance Can Result In Significant Improvements In The Welfare Of Potentially Millions Of People Or Shareholders

~ BTWOMAOLGRBSCOEWALTLWCMTR ~ Behind The World Of Misery And Oppression Lie Governments Run By Small Cliques Of Essentials Who Are Loyal To Leaders Who Can Make Them Rich

~ BTWOFAPLGTDOTBOASCOOP ~ Behind The World Of Freedom And Prosperity Lie Governments That Depend On The Backing Of A Substantial Coalition Of Ordinary People