politically smart people and me

Emergency Sex (and Other Desperate Measures)

Andrew Thomson · 2006

Things That Can and Cannot be Said

Arundhati Roy, John Cusack · 2016

Animal Farm

George Orwell · 1996

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson · 2013

Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?<br/><br/>Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?<br/><br/>Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?<br/><br/>Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities.<br/><br/>The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.<br/><br/>Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:<br/><br/>- China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West?<br/><br/>- Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?<br/><br/>- What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?<br/><br/>Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.

But What Can I Do?

Alastair Campbell · 2024

'Everything a manifesto should heartfelt, hectoring, impassioned, rousing.' The i__________________________________________________'Your country needs you. Your world needs you. Your time is now.'Our politics is a mess. Leaders who can't or shouldn't be allowed to lead. Governments that lie, and seek to undermine our democratic values. It's no surprise that so many of us feel frustrated, let down and drawn to ask, 'But what can I do?'That question is the inspiration behind this book. It's a question regularly posed to Alastair Campbell, not least in reaction to The Rest is Politics, the chart-topping podcast he presents with Rory Stewart. His answer, typically, is forthright and impassioned. We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. If we think things need to change, then we need to change them, and that means getting involved.But What Can I Do? provides each of us with the motivation and the tools to effect change for the better. It draws on Alastair's long experience to offer practical tips on putting together and leading a campaign team. It provides priceless advice on developing confidence and coping with criticism and setbacks. And it sets out the practical steps by which we can become political players ourselves. Part call to arms, part practical handbook, But What Can I Do? will prove required reading for anyone who wants to make a difference.

The Open Society and its Enemies

Karl Popper · 2012

The Republic: plato (Annotated)

Plato · 2022

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Noah Harari · 2015