KhizooologyThe Dictator's Handbook
Follow the incentives behind the promise.
Big Idea
The authors argue that leaders’ dependence on essential supporters helps explain how they distribute resources and preserve power.
Survival as the Starting Point
The model asks what keeps a leader in office before assuming a commitment to the public good.
Essential Supporters
A leader needs a coalition whose continued support is necessary for remaining in power.
Small Coalitions
The authors argue that a narrow support base can make targeted private rewards attractive.
Broad Coalitions
A larger required support base can create stronger incentives to supply widely shared benefits.
Institutions Change Incentives
Rules about leadership selection influence who must be satisfied.
A Model With Limits
This simplifying theory does not prove every leader has identical motives or make corrupt behavior acceptable.
Khizooo Take
When assessing a policy, ask whose support the decision-maker needs and how that may shape the benefits being offered.
Remember
The audience a leader answers to matters.