Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“Economics is interested in despotism and tyranny if only because the profile of government interventions depends, at least partly, on the nature of the political regime. Moreover, the recent school of constitutional political economy analyzes alternative constitutional arrangements. Economists have analytical tools to study the consequences of government intervention or non-intervention. It is thus not surprising that a recent issue of The Economist tried to explain ‘Why America Is Vulnerable to a Despot’ (May 16, 2024). It is true, on the one hand, that the decentralization of American government would make it difficult for a despot to take over the system in violation of the Constitution. For the same reason, manipulation of national election results is very difficult if at all possible.” (06/16/24)
https://www.econlib.org/the-possibility-of-despotism-in-america/