"In his cheeky new book, 10% Less Democracy, the economist Garett Jones makes a counter-zeitgeist case for more 'epistocracy,' or rule by the knowledgeable. Recent weeks have rather made the case for him and altered that zeitgeist."
Janan Ganesh, Financial Times, March 2020
"Mr Jones musters plenty of convincing evidence that fewer elections and more distance between voters and decisions make for better governance."
The Economist
“10% Less Democracy is a joy to read. If you liked Freakonomics or Predictably Irrational, you’ll love this book. It deserves to be read widely, widely discussed—and acted upon. A tour de force combining the best economic insight with real-world, practical applications. Every chapter demonstrates ways in which reducing democratic control over certain decisions reliably results in better outcomes for all.”
Jason Brennan, political philosopher at Georgetown University and author of Cracks in the Ivory Tower.
“How can we rescue democracy from the slough of despond into which it has fallen? In this lucidly written book, Garett Jones makes the case for a surprising answer: the best way to improve democracy is to have a bit less of it. It’s only by handing power to technical experts, lengthening congressional terms, staggering elections, and reducing direct democracy that we can save the invaluable core of democracy from self-destruction.”
Adrian Wooldridge, Bagehot columnist for The Economist and co-author (with Alan Greenspan) of Capitalism in America: An Economic History
“Invocation of ‘democracy’ is one of the most ill-defined canards of modern discourse. In this revisionist work, rooted in common sense, Jones shows that effective representative government does not in fact rest on pure democracy, but does rely on well-functioning elites. Definitely recommended.”
Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and author of Big Business: A Love-Letter to an American Anti-Hero
“The belief in democracy is strong in most rich, democratic countries, even sacred. Why in the world would anyone propose ten percent less of it? The key is sharpening our thinking on what ‘democracy’ means. Once we allow a sharper definition, decision-making by the vote of all, we demystify ‘democracy’ and more sensibly assess its pluses and minuses. Jones’ argument is persuasive and rests on global data.”
Charlotta Stern, Professor of Sociology, Stockholm University, and Deputy Director of the Ratio Institute
“If a genie told me that James Madison had been reincarnated as another person and had written an update to the Federalist Papers, I’d say, ‘It’s Garett Jones and 10% Less Democracy, right?’”
Tim Groseclose, Professor of Economics, George Mason University
“I must say, the finest fusion of economics and psychology is not some book on nudges or biases, but The Hive Mind by Garett Jones. It’s also the first time that differential psychology has been substantively applied by an economist to the questions of economic development and political economy.”
“Anyone interested in education, social science, or economics should read this book...a model of non-fiction writing.'
“…[T]he book is excellent, and well worth reading…This is a model of concise explanatory writing.”
“On balance this is a notable text—perhaps 2016’s most important economics book, both for the development specialist and the general reader.”
Economist Fred Thompson in Governance
“…[I]f you only have time to read one economics book this year, make it Garett Jones’s Hive Mind…”
“Summing up: Recommended. All Readers.” [Also ‘Community College Recommended’]
E.L. Whelan, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries.