I appreciate this list looks from a 'political' lens - trying to answer why the dominant political dynamics within the west from the mid-late 20th century are challenged, if not wholly breaking apart. But I think a reasonable contender for this list, from a more 'institutional' angle, would be Elizabeth Popp Berman's "Thinking Like an Economist: How Efficiency Replaced Equality in U.S. Public Policy" which explains why, essentially, public policy institutions think like microeconomists. Other writers have written about the consequences of the dominance of economic reasoning in our public institutions, but I haven't read anyone else trace where and how it arrived from. Obviously it focuses on the US, but anyone working in the UK public sector will see exactly the same way of thinking, even if it arrived here slightly later in time.
When you read it, you realise that huge swathes of public sector activity is undertaken on the basis of assumptions that almost any practitioner prior to at least the 1960s would have found strange - i.e. the overwhelming (i) focus on efficiency and (ii) focus on markets, user choice etc. even to the point of creating markets where none could exist absent extensive regulation. You could see this as the 'wonk's contribution' to the obsessive focus on short-term financial control in the UK. It's difficult to build (or defend) highly capable state institutions when such thinking is dominant, or to orient activity towards resilience and protection (especially in respect of those with at least some private income). Of course economic reasoning is a double edged sword - in some areas this way of thinking has been hugely effective - but it closes off many options which could have been (and once were) effective.
Another thought is that none of these books seem to talk directly to the decline of mass participation in political parties or politically aligned but independent institutions, which many think is a major contributor to the brittleness of established political parties. The typical late 20th century individual in most western countries would have had a much 'thicker' relationship with politics than their counterpart today (despite the latter likely consuming far more political content on social media). This also contributes to the much narrower background spread among politicians, as there are far fewer routes in than there used to be. I can't think immediately of a book which covers this though.
I will try to read at least Perlstein's Nixonland and Alexievich's Second Hand Time (books I've been closing to picking up before), and probably also Krastev and Holmes' The Light That Failed. Thanks for the list.
Thanks for the list. One of the best books I've read for understanding contemporary Russia is Sergei Medevdev's Return of the Russian Leviathan. He's really good on the debilitating effects of day to day corruption and the resentment animating Russia globally. Sadly prescient on the invasion of Ukraine also https://fivebooks.com/book/return-russian-leviathan-sergei-medvedev/
It's an interesting list Sam, but can you recommend anything that explains the relative failure of centre-left / liberal / progressive parties or movements in developed democracies. Even in the UK, Labour's landslide was achieved with the votes of about 20% of the electorate. More people didn't vote than voted Labour. This dissaffection can't all be explained away by Kremlin-funded disinformation, or a bigoted, ignorant electorate.
Thanks Sam. I will try to get around to these. I've always liked Thompson's articles in the New Statesman, even the one about being a West Ham fan.
A book I would recommend,
having finally got around to reading it, is Hein de Haas's How Migration Really Works, which is now available as a Penguin paperback. I don't agree with all of it - personally I think he's a bit too sanguine about the ability or willingness of western European populations to cope with current levels of immigration. However, his work is backed by solid research and fieldwork, and bursts a few shibboleths of both the pro and anti-migration lobbies.
On the relative failure of liberalism, I found "The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism" by John Gray to be eye opening. (If you're really up for a deep read, much of "The New Leviathans" draws from material in Gray's "Seven Types of Atheism".) Essentially, Gray believes that liberalism depends on widespread belief in the values of Christianity such as tolerance. He argues that even though liberals have largely abandoned Christianity, the values of liberals are underpinned by Christian philosophy. He makes the case that that the conditions for liberalism are fragile, and that the human condition may tend instead toward authoritarianism. Rather than a condemnation of liberalism, the book is more of a warning to those that care about liberalism.
I would add The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliani Da Empoli. Despite being quasi fiction it made me understand Putin better than anything else. And not only that, I could see in the characterisation of Putin what Trump finds so appealing.
This is an awesome list, and has given more books to read. So thanks!
I’ll recommend a book I personally found helpful. I notice a lot of my fellow Americans simply don’t have the concepts to explain why people on the right believe what they do. After the election, the closest most of my friends could come to an explanation was “people are completely gullible and dumb.”
But we’re not facing stupid people! (At least not exclusively.) these kinds of beliefs have to be explained in terms of the political community that treats them as authoritative, rather than in terms of the judgment of some abstract individual.
Network Propaganda, a 2018 study of the structure of online news media, does an excellent of showing how the right wing information ecosystem has separated itself from left and center publications. It also shows how extremist views are treated as common sense within the insular right wing information space. The book is free to read online: https://academic.oup.com/book/26406
Great list. Two other strong books on Russia in my view are ‘The Story of Russia’ by Orlando Figes. This gives a very broad sweep of the country’s history but what comes through is why democracy failed in Russia (and was never really tried in any case).
Also excellent is ‘It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past’ by David Satter. A fascinating look at how Russia did and did not move on from/come to terms with its soviet past. It explains a great deal about Putin’s rise and endurance.
Interesting list. If I can suggest an addition, it would be Henry Farrell and Abe Newman's Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy. Full disclosure: Henry is a long-time co-blogger of mine at Crooked Timber. The book is an excellent primer on how the Trump administration now has the power to punish supposed allies by leveraging their dependence on the US but also how the over-use of this power will weaken US power over time as those targeted seek work-arounds.
Just bought, but haven't yet read "Careless People" Sarah Wynn-Williams. Why I think it should be added to this list: (1) The book describes the widespread and hidden hypocrisy that women in the workforce in Silicon Valley are faced with. (2) It also describes how Meta enabled a surveillance state in China.
These problems are not confined to Meta, but permeate the technology workforce.
Interesting list as noted. I've recently read Technofeudalism by Yanis Varoufakis, which I thought was an interesting take on some of the underlying economic factors around how we've got to where we are, even if I don't agree with all his analysis. His focus on capital flows is particularly relevant I think.
In his podcast Rory Stewart recommended recently The Revenge of Power by Moises Naim. Just received it and find it very promising to understand the strategy of populisme.
Hi Sam - fascinating as always. I note you don’t look at the financial aspect as much. Do you see a link to the lines taken by Kleptopia or Autocrat inc for example? A key strand of trumpism seems to be a focus on personal economic interest which aligns well with Kremlin, broligopoly etc. Or do you see that as overplayed?
Look forward to reading “secondhand time” To view the world through actual people’s experience. We know the men that corrupt and break things. Do we know the people that vote for them?
How about Elon Musk: by Walter Isaacson? I guess Sam would see him as Enemy No 1. so understanding something about the man might be worthwhile, especially as Sir K seems to be employing some of his techniques. Quote from Andrew Marr, when talking about Starmer: 'If you can imagine a well-behaved, non-mouthy, essentially social democratic, properly dressed, Elon Musk, that’s what we are going to get.' Today's press has Wes Streeting is bragging about clearing the duffers out of the blob. Musk would be proud of the lad. Perhaps this is all smoke and mirrors and playing to the plebs, but, maybe Starmer means it?
I appreciate this list looks from a 'political' lens - trying to answer why the dominant political dynamics within the west from the mid-late 20th century are challenged, if not wholly breaking apart. But I think a reasonable contender for this list, from a more 'institutional' angle, would be Elizabeth Popp Berman's "Thinking Like an Economist: How Efficiency Replaced Equality in U.S. Public Policy" which explains why, essentially, public policy institutions think like microeconomists. Other writers have written about the consequences of the dominance of economic reasoning in our public institutions, but I haven't read anyone else trace where and how it arrived from. Obviously it focuses on the US, but anyone working in the UK public sector will see exactly the same way of thinking, even if it arrived here slightly later in time.
When you read it, you realise that huge swathes of public sector activity is undertaken on the basis of assumptions that almost any practitioner prior to at least the 1960s would have found strange - i.e. the overwhelming (i) focus on efficiency and (ii) focus on markets, user choice etc. even to the point of creating markets where none could exist absent extensive regulation. You could see this as the 'wonk's contribution' to the obsessive focus on short-term financial control in the UK. It's difficult to build (or defend) highly capable state institutions when such thinking is dominant, or to orient activity towards resilience and protection (especially in respect of those with at least some private income). Of course economic reasoning is a double edged sword - in some areas this way of thinking has been hugely effective - but it closes off many options which could have been (and once were) effective.
Another thought is that none of these books seem to talk directly to the decline of mass participation in political parties or politically aligned but independent institutions, which many think is a major contributor to the brittleness of established political parties. The typical late 20th century individual in most western countries would have had a much 'thicker' relationship with politics than their counterpart today (despite the latter likely consuming far more political content on social media). This also contributes to the much narrower background spread among politicians, as there are far fewer routes in than there used to be. I can't think immediately of a book which covers this though.
I will try to read at least Perlstein's Nixonland and Alexievich's Second Hand Time (books I've been closing to picking up before), and probably also Krastev and Holmes' The Light That Failed. Thanks for the list.
Thanks - great suggestion
Thanks for the list. One of the best books I've read for understanding contemporary Russia is Sergei Medevdev's Return of the Russian Leviathan. He's really good on the debilitating effects of day to day corruption and the resentment animating Russia globally. Sadly prescient on the invasion of Ukraine also https://fivebooks.com/book/return-russian-leviathan-sergei-medvedev/
It's an interesting list Sam, but can you recommend anything that explains the relative failure of centre-left / liberal / progressive parties or movements in developed democracies. Even in the UK, Labour's landslide was achieved with the votes of about 20% of the electorate. More people didn't vote than voted Labour. This dissaffection can't all be explained away by Kremlin-funded disinformation, or a bigoted, ignorant electorate.
Both the Thompson book and the Krastev and Holmes look at this question in interesting ways.
Thanks Sam. I will try to get around to these. I've always liked Thompson's articles in the New Statesman, even the one about being a West Ham fan.
A book I would recommend,
having finally got around to reading it, is Hein de Haas's How Migration Really Works, which is now available as a Penguin paperback. I don't agree with all of it - personally I think he's a bit too sanguine about the ability or willingness of western European populations to cope with current levels of immigration. However, his work is backed by solid research and fieldwork, and bursts a few shibboleths of both the pro and anti-migration lobbies.
On the relative failure of liberalism, I found "The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism" by John Gray to be eye opening. (If you're really up for a deep read, much of "The New Leviathans" draws from material in Gray's "Seven Types of Atheism".) Essentially, Gray believes that liberalism depends on widespread belief in the values of Christianity such as tolerance. He argues that even though liberals have largely abandoned Christianity, the values of liberals are underpinned by Christian philosophy. He makes the case that that the conditions for liberalism are fragile, and that the human condition may tend instead toward authoritarianism. Rather than a condemnation of liberalism, the book is more of a warning to those that care about liberalism.
Excellent, thank you, plenty to add to my library wish list, for when I’ve finished Failed State!
I would add The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliani Da Empoli. Despite being quasi fiction it made me understand Putin better than anything else. And not only that, I could see in the characterisation of Putin what Trump finds so appealing.
This is an awesome list, and has given more books to read. So thanks!
I’ll recommend a book I personally found helpful. I notice a lot of my fellow Americans simply don’t have the concepts to explain why people on the right believe what they do. After the election, the closest most of my friends could come to an explanation was “people are completely gullible and dumb.”
But we’re not facing stupid people! (At least not exclusively.) these kinds of beliefs have to be explained in terms of the political community that treats them as authoritative, rather than in terms of the judgment of some abstract individual.
Network Propaganda, a 2018 study of the structure of online news media, does an excellent of showing how the right wing information ecosystem has separated itself from left and center publications. It also shows how extremist views are treated as common sense within the insular right wing information space. The book is free to read online: https://academic.oup.com/book/26406
Untruth is a team effort.
Many Thanks, Sam for the extremely useful titles, particularily the european ones. i'll be following up on Alexievich, Thomson and Krastev.
Great list. Two other strong books on Russia in my view are ‘The Story of Russia’ by Orlando Figes. This gives a very broad sweep of the country’s history but what comes through is why democracy failed in Russia (and was never really tried in any case).
Also excellent is ‘It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past’ by David Satter. A fascinating look at how Russia did and did not move on from/come to terms with its soviet past. It explains a great deal about Putin’s rise and endurance.
Interesting list. If I can suggest an addition, it would be Henry Farrell and Abe Newman's Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy. Full disclosure: Henry is a long-time co-blogger of mine at Crooked Timber. The book is an excellent primer on how the Trump administration now has the power to punish supposed allies by leveraging their dependence on the US but also how the over-use of this power will weaken US power over time as those targeted seek work-arounds.
Thanks - I've got that sitting in a pile somewhere. Must dig it out and read it.
Another superb post with some excellent recommendations that I will be following up on. Thank you!
Just bought, but haven't yet read "Careless People" Sarah Wynn-Williams. Why I think it should be added to this list: (1) The book describes the widespread and hidden hypocrisy that women in the workforce in Silicon Valley are faced with. (2) It also describes how Meta enabled a surveillance state in China.
These problems are not confined to Meta, but permeate the technology workforce.
Also just got it - same editor as my book!
Macmillan!
Just finished it. It’s frightening, and I would say an important addition to this list.
Interesting list as noted. I've recently read Technofeudalism by Yanis Varoufakis, which I thought was an interesting take on some of the underlying economic factors around how we've got to where we are, even if I don't agree with all his analysis. His focus on capital flows is particularly relevant I think.
Nice recommendations.
In his podcast Rory Stewart recommended recently The Revenge of Power by Moises Naim. Just received it and find it very promising to understand the strategy of populisme.
Hi Sam - fascinating as always. I note you don’t look at the financial aspect as much. Do you see a link to the lines taken by Kleptopia or Autocrat inc for example? A key strand of trumpism seems to be a focus on personal economic interest which aligns well with Kremlin, broligopoly etc. Or do you see that as overplayed?
Look forward to reading “secondhand time” To view the world through actual people’s experience. We know the men that corrupt and break things. Do we know the people that vote for them?
How about Elon Musk: by Walter Isaacson? I guess Sam would see him as Enemy No 1. so understanding something about the man might be worthwhile, especially as Sir K seems to be employing some of his techniques. Quote from Andrew Marr, when talking about Starmer: 'If you can imagine a well-behaved, non-mouthy, essentially social democratic, properly dressed, Elon Musk, that’s what we are going to get.' Today's press has Wes Streeting is bragging about clearing the duffers out of the blob. Musk would be proud of the lad. Perhaps this is all smoke and mirrors and playing to the plebs, but, maybe Starmer means it?