10% Less Democracy: Why You Should Trust Elites a Little More and the Masses a Little Less

George Mason University economics professor Jones (Hive Mind) advocates for “democracy-reducing reforms” including longer legislative term limits, the reauthorization of congressional earmarks, stricter voting eligibility requirements, and the appointment of technocrats to design federal tax laws in this succinct and accessible proposal. Such refinements, Jones argues, would have an outsize impact on socioeconomic development in the world’s wealthiest, most democratic countries. To bolster his claims that too much democracy can cause social and economic stagnation, Jones presents evidence suggesting that Americans typically consider only the “extremely recent past” when making voting decisions, and that politicians dramatically alter their priorities when they’re up for reelection. He praises independent central banks in Europe and the U.S. and contends that a “more oligarchical judiciary” would have relatively low risks and high benefits. Jones presents Singapore as a case study in how a “low-democracy” country has flourished economically, and posits that the European Union’s democratic structure, and not its bureaucratic nature, is largely responsible for its failure to effectively address Europe’s recent immigration and debt crises. Jones skillfully draws on hard economic data, popular culture, and philosophical treatises to make his points, but he doesn’t set a clear path toward achieving his goals and fails to fully reckon with the structural inequalities that persist in many so-called meritocracies. As a thought experiment, however, this informative and articulate book succeeds. (Feb.)