Inside the Political Mind: The Human Side of Politics and How It Shapes Development [Hardcover]

Why have efforts to strengthen quality of governance so often failed in some of the world's most troubled states? Because they almost always ignore the human side of politics.Drawing on his experience of working with hundreds of politicians in more than sixty countries, Greg Power explores how social norms, public expectations and the personal interests of MPs influence the path of political development.Where states are weak, politicians solve problems by going around the state. From Tanzania and Nepal to Iraq and Ukraine, voters actually want MPs who can find informal fixes, and a reciprocal logic holds the system in place. But this also means that weak institutions tend to stay weak.Combining insights from behavioral economics, change management and comparative politics, this fascinating book argues for a different approach to political reform, one concerned less with institutional design and more with the existing logic of human behavior. One that starts inside the political mind, and works outwards from there.ContentsPrologue: IraqIntroduction: Why political behavior is always logical, but rarely rationalPart One: Getting from what the rules say to what the rules meanThe art of agreeing how to disagree: A short history of political punch-ups1. Institutions with new rules, but no norms: Libya, Egypt and Iraq2. What the rules mean: The importance of behavioural normsPart Two: The logic of deviation from the 'democratic norm'Roundabouts and reciprocal altruism3. Going Local - Politicians and their people4. Political parties - The organization of politics, and the politics of organisation5. Life Inside - How political institutions develop and sustain their own logicPart three: A Behavioural Approach to Political ChangeA Behavioural Catch-22: The human side of political development6. Individuals over institutions: All change is behavioural change7. Reform at Hogwarts-on-Thames: Why the political is always personal8. What's in it for me? Reform as reciprocal altruism9l#—