Charter Cities Podcast

The complex history of democracy and its global origins isn’t taught in school. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to self-educate. On today’s episode, we speak with David Stasavage, a Professor of Political Science and Dean of Social Sciences at the University of New York. He allows us to dip into his incredible wealth of knowledge around the history of this form of governance, as well as giving us his insights and predictions for its future. You’ll hear about the role of technology and geography in the emergence (or non-emergence) of democracy across the globe. We talk about the factors that influence the strength of a city’s fiscal position and David suggests an extreme solution to restoring that power: to disallow the issuing of debt. Next, we talk about the growth rates of autonomous cities, how location and craft guild contribute to growth, and David tells us why the effectiveness of political inclusion rests on how a society is organized. We dive into Olson’s theory of the stationary versus roving bandit, and discuss exit options through the lens of Carneiro’s Circumspection Theory. David weighs in on Herbst’s view that redrawing borders can reduce conflict, and gives us his prediction for how democracy will fare with populism and technocracy in mind. We touch on theories by Henry Pierrine and David recommends Wim Blockman’s research as a rich resource on cities and representation. Tune in for a thorough look into the history of democracy with the future in mind!

Key Points From This Episode:

•   The topic of David’s recently published book, The Decline and Rise of Democracy.

•   The global origins of democracy which contradict the idea of it starting in Athens.

•   How technology and geography play into the emergence of democracy (or not).

•   Why cities and smaller states could accrue long-term debt as early as the 13th century.

•   How the strength of the central political unit dictates the strength of a city’s fiscal position.

•   An extreme solution to restoring a city’s fiscal strength: disallow the issuing of debt.

•   We discuss the reversal of faster growth rates in autonomous cities after 100 years.

•   How location and craft guild influenced the growth of cities throughout history.

•   Why the effect of political inclusion depends upon how society itself is organized.

•   We discuss Olson’s stationary versus roving bandit theory.

•   Exit options through the lens of Robert Carneiro’s Circumscription Theory.

•   David weighs in on Herbst’s view that redrawing borders can reduce conflict.

•   Why, if you have collective governance first, the possibility for bureaucracy is greater.

•   Local elections as a way for autocratic rulers to gather information.

•   How David foresees political institutions navigating outdated laws and godlike technology.

•   The role of connection and disconnection to the state in decentralization, and local control.

•   David’s prediction on how democracy will fare with populism and technocracy in mind.

•   Why it might be true that government officials can’t achieve anything alone.

•   We discuss the theory outlined in Henry Pierrine’s Early Democracies in the Low Countries.

•   Wim Blockman’s research as a powerful resource on cities and representation.

•   David’s book in gestation about the future of democracy.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

David Stasavage

David Stasavage on Twitter

David Stasavage on LinkedIn

The Decline and Rise of Democracy

Cities of Commercy

States and Power in Africa

Early Democracies in the Low Countries

Charter Cities Institute

Charter Cities Institute on Facebook

Charter Cities Institute on Twitter

Charter Cities Institute on LinkedIn