Why Politics Fails

by Ben W. Ansell

'Brilliant ... a must-read' Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail_____Why do the revolving doors of power always leave us disappointed? In Why Politics Fails, award-winning Oxford professor Ben Ansell shows that it's not the politicians that are the problem, it's that our collective goals result in five political 'traps'. we all want a say in how we're governed, but it's impossible to have any true 'will of the people'. we want to be treated equally, but equal rights and equal outcomes undermine each other. we want a safety net when times are tough, but often we care about solidarity only when we need it ourselves. we want protecting from harm, but not if it undermines our freedoms. we want to be richer tomorrow, but what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul.You've probably noticed a pattern here, which is that our self-interest undermines our ability to deliver on our collective goals. And these traps reinforce one another, so a polarized democracy can worsen inequality; a threadbare social safety net can worsen crime; runaway climate change will threaten global peace.Drawing on examples from Ancient Greece through Brexit and using his own counterintuitive and pathbreaking research - on why democracy thrives under high inequality, and how increased political and social equality can lead to greater class inequality - Ansell vividly illustrates how we can escape the political traps of our imperfect world. He shows that politics won't end, but that it doesn't have to fail._____'A meticulous study of how different societies find it so difficult to achieve widely shared goals' Financial Times 'Incisive and gripping' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die'Salutary reading for the world we live in now' James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Sociology

320 pages, Hardcover

Published March 30, 2023

About the author

Dr. Ben W. Ansell is a professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College. His work focuses on both comparative politics and international relations. He is also co-editor of the academic journal Comparative Political Studies.

Reviews

[Donald Schopflocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ansell focuses on the nitty gritty of policies to defuse five ‘traps’ of collective action 1) the democracy trap: there is no will of the people 2) the equality trap: equality of rights is undermined by equality of outcomes 3) the solidarity trap: what we want for ourselves we may not want for others 4) the security trap: we want protection but not at the cost of our freedoms 5) the prosperity trap: what we want now shortchanges the future. A great followup read to Astra Taylor’s “Democracy may not Exist, but we’ll miss it when it’s Gone.”

[Rui Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tendo em conta o atual momento político português, se existe livro que não pode falhar, é este.

Este é um manual, não de instruções, mas que nos instrui sobre a política e as periferias da mesma. O papel desempenhado pelas democracias é preponderante para que a política consiga ser parte integrante nas sociedades. Tropeçamos na política constantemente. É uma herança do mundo e do seu funcionamento.

No entanto, apesar do peso atribuído ao mundo político, não é por isso que o mesmo acaba por sucumbir à falha. A voz do povo nunca é bem a voz do povo. A política tem minas e mecanismos que favorecem certos interesses em detrimento de outros.

A premissa da atividade política e, consequentemente, a sua motivação é sempre individual. Só depois, surge o interesse coletivo. As fricções políticas existentes derivam das individualidades e não tanto de movimentos ou grupos consolidados. Essas corporações, todavia, são lideradas por pessoas e, essas pessoas, são singulares. Estaca zero.

Dentro da política, o espectro é bastante alargado. Uma auto-estrada com muitas vias. A igualdade, a segurança, a liberdade, a economia, são componentes que ajudam a explicar as falhas da teoria. A geopolítica, por sua vez, expõe as dicotomias entre estados.

Ansell, domina o estudo das democracias modernas e, como tal, em cada capítulo aborda as armadilhas que as mesmas enfrentam. A sobriedade e o recurso a exemplos concretos e contemporâneos fazem com que este livro consiga ser bastante elucidativo. O Brexit é flagrantemente utilizado, por exemplo.

Um livro bastante competente na sua concepção e, dentro dos possíveis, igualmente bem sintetizado e distribuído.

[Viajar Entre Páginas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livros como este são necessários e deviam de ser lidos cada vez mais. Pessoas informadas e conscientes têm um papel preponderante na esfera da política.

Neste livro, Ben Ansell, especialista em democracias modernas, explica as cinco armadilhas que enfrentamos: democracia, igualdade, solidariedade, segurança e prosperidade.

Além de estar escrito numa linguagem acessível, está sustentado em factos o que torna a leitura ainda mais interessante e fácil de perceber.

Se eu já estava fascinada com a ideologia dos países nórdicos (em especial Suécia, Dinamarca e Noruega), com esta leitura tenho 200% de certeza do quão evoluídos são.

Estamos numa altura em que as palavras “política” e “democracia” são cada vez mais ouvidas na comunicação social. A leitura deste livro não poderia vir em melhor altura. Sejamos informados sobre o que nos rodeia!

[Chris Chasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but rounded to 4

Well written and argued- a lot of what the author was saying makes a lot of sense.

I am glad that the solution to all of the issues highlighted is the new creation

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed a copy of this book and was expected to be bored out of my mind, but that wasn’t the case at all. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. Ben Ansell is an expert in politics and his title is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions. Basically, this book discusses the many conflicts we face with democracy, and he does an excellent job explaining why it’s so difficult to get people to vote in their best interest. There are many psychological reasons people vote the way they do, and Ansell also explains how even though we don’t admit it, most of us vote for our own self-interest and are extremely short-sighted.

This is an excellent book, and if you’re curious why it’s so hard to get people to vote for things to help them, this is the book you need to read. It’s not over the top with academic language, either, so it’s easy for people to grasp. Ansell offers some optimistic solutions that I don’t see happening anytime soon, but hopefully some politicians and voters read it.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Why Politics Fail," author Ben Ansell brilliantly explains why our systems struggle to deliver democracy, equality, solidarity, security, and prosperity. The 21st century started with high hopes, but recent years have shown us how political issues and self-interest derail our goals. Through engaging stories and groundbreaking research, Ansell skillfully guides us through the complex political landscape, showing us the way to a fair, prosperous, and environmentally friendly society.

From an early age, I've been fascinated by politics. Sometimes it makes perfect sense to me; other times, it feels utterly confusing. Ansell does an amazing job of breaking down complex political ideas into simple, easy-to-understand terms. His clear examples and analogies make politics easy to grasp, providing clarity in a field that can often be confusing. Because of this, I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a must-read and definitely worth your time!

[Cyrus Lloyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

My problems with this book were fourfold:
A) The problems it pointed out were over simplified and not novel for me
B) The solutions mentioned failed to adress substantive counter arguments
C) The tone (which while quick and easy to read) was overly casual in a way which combined with point A to make the book feel less substantive
D) It uncreatively rips off the frame work of "traps" from the bottom billion when the word doesn't really make sense in this context

[Xavier Barette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why Politics Fails - Ben Ansell
I like the author. I thought I was interested in the concepts, found it SO boring, potentially not his fault. Very easy to put down. Politics is cooked though.
5.8/10.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Really interesting exploration of high-level concepts that will definitely stick with me. But failed to offer tangible solutions or a real way forward.

[Gonzalo Escribano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this—it’s Political Science distilled into a single, accessible book. The ‘traps’ framing is not only clever but also one of the most effective ways I’ve seen to address the major challenges of politics. It offers valuable insights for readers at any level. While the solutions Ansell proposes may feel a bit conventional, it’s a reminder that we’re all still searching for the person who can truly crack these issues. Highly recommended for anyone looking to better understand the complexities of politics and society.

[Anna Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to political theory; if you’ve never read political science literature before but want to, this is the book to start with. Ben Ansell takes a huge question of “Why does politics fail?” and answers it by breaking it down into what he argues are the five “paradoxes” of politics—democracy, equality, solidarity, security, and prosperity—each of which cannot exist fully without some sort of self-contradiction. Ansell addresses some major impossible questions in a very approachable way.

[Libbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best analysis I have read for sometime of the tensions and trade-offs involved in governing. Politics is hard and disagreements inevitable. But endless polarization is not inevitable. With enhanced political institutions, evolving social norms and trust, politics can find solutions to the problems we face. A thought-provoking and highly readable book.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics is such a dreary topic that the mind shies from it, but sometimes it's worth taking a deep breath and devoting a little attention to it to try to figure out just what's going on. This book by an Oxford political scientist is an attempt to analyze what politics is and how it works-- and doesn't.
Ansell organizes his discussion around what he calls traps, the intractable problems we run into when we pursue our social goals. For example, he states the Security Trap as 'We can't avoid anarchy without risking tyranny'. He discusses traps in five areas: Democracy, Equality, Solidarity, Security and Prosperity. In each section he identifies the trap and discusses ways of escaping it.
It's a practical, sensible approach, but it's not likely to lay all our political disputes to rest. The way out of the Democracy Trap (There's no such thing as 'The Will of the People'), for example, ranges from 'encouraging norms of listening and deliberating' to a few suggestions for voting reform. There are no magic bullets here, just a variety of reasonable suggestions that reasonable people ought to be able to agree on. Sadly, it's that reasonable element that seems to be lacking in most cases. Extremists on the right will reject this book out of hand because Ansell recognizes climate change as a major threat, and extremists on the left will scoff because he recognizes that markets are a key element in prosperity.
So don't expect this book to change the world, but it may help clarify your thinking. It's a creditable attempt to analyze failures in the political process and find paths that lead to success.

[Paco Ponce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un buen libro, más allá de las discrepancias que pueda cada cual tener con sus argumentaciones. Peca únicamente en el título. ¿Por qué fracasa la política? Él mismo se contesta al final del libro con dos oraciones que considero claves: <> y <>. Efectivamente, la política es endémica del ser humano. Quizá habría que preguntarse por qué fracasa el progreso.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why Politics Fails by Ben Ansell seems, at first glance, to state the obvious: we are too self-centered to follow through on the positive things we do support (in theory). But that simplification is not very nuanced, and this assessment provides the nuance, which is where possible solutions might be found.

Very broadly, it isn't that we don't want things to be better for more people (okay, some people do live with that type of hate, but not as many as it sometimes seems) but that, when it comes to following through on potential solutions our mostly short-term self-interest overrides those long-term goals. It is this area that politics fails us. In the US we have become so extremely partisan that I'm not sure how often even the long-term goals are even considered.

Proportional representation is one possible step toward fixing some of the problems we have. It has the benefit of being proven as a workable system with mostly positive results. I have long wished we weren't a de facto two-party state. For instance, a segment of the public is blaming their gradual loss of unjustified privilege on those who are still struggling to be accepted as equal human beings, let alone citizens. As reprehensible as that is, there is an aspect of it that is quite understandable. If your economic situation and future prospects aren't looking good, you want to blame someone or something. When those with too much power and money manipulate the public discourse to keep it about abstract appearances rather than tangible issues, it becomes easy to blame people who aren't like you, whether race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, whatever.

If we had multiple parties that focused on what mattered most, there would likely be a party that sought relief (jobs, healthcare, clean living conditions, etc) for the working class. With these tangible and common issues, there might begin to be less pointless animosity between groups that share the same plight and more working together for the future and not just for tomorrow. And those benefits would be to make life better, not to have impotent bragging rights over some other oppressed group.

The biggest strength of the book, I think, is how well Ansell breaks down how we put short-term self-serving gains over long-term community-serving (larger) gains. Most of us will nod our heads and, if we're honest with ourselves, acknowledge that even if we have an area where we manage to be less self-centered, we are, far too often, settling for smaller short-term self-interest gains over all others.

Highly recommended for those who want to try to both grasp why we do self-defeating things repeatedly and figure out ways to start working toward a better society.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Marc Sabatier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, that takes *politics* seriously, rather than than policy. On the latter, a lot of people tend to think that there are some perfect solutions "out there", and that politics are in the way of us achieving it.

Climate: implement a flat Co2 tax
War: Make a world government that regulates the behaviour of countries
Bureaucracy: Replace complicated rules, with simple and legible ones

Often, people stop at the policy-solutions, and scorn at politics. But, as Ansell argues, we must take politics seriously, as it is the arena in which we as a society make collective decisions that will affect us all. And while we all espouse to support these simple fixes, we are all bound by our self-interest, our essential guide to find our preferred policies - and the will that politicians must have in mind when making policies.

Ansell tackles problem by problem, and shows why there is more to it than meets the eye - if policy A is instated, group B will be negatively affected, why we have to try to balance things out - and has an elegant way of highlighting the trade-offs for voters, and carefully argue how to best balance these.

But although Ansell offers some policy solutions, the reader will not leave this book with concrete suggestions as such to solve our ills - rather, this book instructs the reader how to *think* carefully about politics, and in turn, be more successful in advancing the policy-causes they favor.

For Danish readers, a refreshing treatment of the "Jantelov" will be a particular highlight of the book. And generally, the book offers good press for the Nordic countries, although politics doesn't necessarily feel less tense when you have everything (relatively) sorted out. This perhaps speaks to the point of the perpetual art of politics, where one consensus will subsequently lead to another arena of disagreement, squabble and an end where everybody believes they've lost.

[ahmad zaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to reread this with a highlighter and it might go up to 5 🌟

i’m a student and nerd of politics and one of my biggest arguments is that Politics isn’t dirty, and letting dirty politicians define it as such just keeps good, normal, capable out of it (logically) and leaves them to do whatever they want - while society suffers.

I prefer Aristotle’s view, where politics is the highest science, because it’s about how to help society live the Good life.

Contrary to what the title might suggest, this is a hopeful book. Ben Ansell wants to save politics, not kill it. And he does it by zooming out to understand “collective action problems”, as he says:

“…we…face a political trap, triggered by our self-interest, that stops us from reaching our collective goals. These traps are not our tragic destiny. But they are insidious, pervasive and sometimes even enticing.

So we have a couple of options. We can learn to identify the traps in the wild and carefully step around the. Alternatively, and more unfortunately, we might already have been caught in the traps. And then we need to learn how to escape them. Only if we can understand why politics fails can we figure out how to make it succeed.” (page 20)

For now, I just want to put the 5 traps of the modern world here from the table of contents because they’re well articulated in themselves.

1. The democracy trap: there’s no such thing as the will of the people

2. The equality trap: equal rights and outcomes undermine each other

3. The solidarity trap: we only care about solidarity when we need it ourselves

4. The security trap: we can’t avoid anarchy without risking tyranny

5. The prosperity trap: what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer in the long haul

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better title for this book would be "Why Politics Often Fails". The current title sounds like politics doesn't work at all which is not the point since the author himself states at the end, "Politics fails when we pretend that we can get along without it".

Politics is defined as making promises to each other. The reasons why it is so hard to keep these promises are explored along 5 challenges:
DEMOCRACY: There’s no such thing as the ‘will of the people’
EQUALITY: Equal rights and equal outcomes undermine each other
SOLIDARITY: We only care about solidarity when we need it ourselves
SECURITY: We can’t avoid anarchy without risking tyranny
PROSPERITY: What makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul

It is the ultimate clash between individual self-interest and collective goals that pulls at the threads of political action. Once we understand this, we can implement solutions to make politics work better.

What holds everything together are norms and institutions. This is especially frightening as we live in an era where the extremes on both sides of the political spectrum seek to tear both down.

A thought-provoking and important read!

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics is frustrating. For many people today, there is a complete disillusionment with the process of politics and how it works. It is clear that politics does not work the way it should. That is the premise of Why Politics Fails. Written by Ben Ansell, Why Politics Fails looks at main premises of politics looked through the different traps. The different traps of politics includes equality, democracy, solidarity, security and prosperity. Each one of these issues is analysed and solutions are proposed.

The book doesn't have citations but there is a bibliography. The book gives different solutions including proportional representation, wealth taxes, universal basic income and sovereign wealth funds to name a few. I am biased in thinking that the position on proportional representation as a good one, since I already support it. I don't think Ben Ansell's position on equality was particularly convincing. Wealth taxation has its problems and I am more likely to suggest land value taxes. UBI is not particularly practical to achieve.

Why Politics Fails offers a good attempt in understanding the different issues in politics and how society can improve these issues.

[Zac Muncy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and Accessible Look at Why Politics Struggles

Ben Ansell’s Why Politics Fails is one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read on the challenges of governance. Instead of offering simplistic answers, Ansell carefully unpacks the recurring problems that plague political systems across the world—polarization, inequality, corruption, and short-term thinking. What I appreciated most is how clearly he explains complex ideas without ever talking down to the reader.

The book combines academic depth with real-world relevance, making it engaging whether you’re a casual reader of politics or someone with a deeper background in international affairs. Ansell doesn’t just critique; he also highlights potential pathways for improvement, leaving the reader with both realism and hope.

This is a timely, well-written, and deeply insightful book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand not just what is going wrong in politics today, but why.

[Finlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fantastic book and a great achievement from Ansell. The book manages that rare feat of excellent scholarship that is appropriate for non-specialist audiences in its writing style. The emphasis on clarity of communication is typical of the analytical tradition, of which Ansell provides an excellent introduction and overview of in its approach to politics. Not only this, but Ansell manages to use this basis to provide his how analysis of 'Why Politics Fails', contributing to this body of knowledge. A stellar read for pretty much anyone interested in the social sciences.

However, I do feel Ansell takes a few pot shots at The Left, believing in shadowy elite. This is made only more ironic when Ansell goes on to describe an elite that was hardly illuminated. This did seem below the tone of the book but does not detract from the author's otherwise fantastic achievement.

[Fred Frisbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was a interesting book on political economy. It covers five big concerns
Democracy
Inequality
Security
Prosperity
Solidarity.

This book was very interesting on how politics helps us achieve these goals because they necessarily involve trade offs which politicians often ignore.

For instance greater equality leads to less freedom, greater security can lead to tyranny.
It's call is avoid calls from the left to remove x from politics and the right to have a strongman that will solve everything.

One thing I thought was a little simplistic in his analysis was saying the PR leads to more equal outcomes,.or could it be that countries that are more equal chose PR.
Also the writer comes across as having a leftish bias but doesn't seem to acknowledge it anyware

[Duy Thanh Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give 5 stars, but this book deserves it.

It’s sharp, timely, and gave me a simple mental map of why politics keeps failing. The structure is clear, the writing is engaging, and the real-world examples, from climate change to tax evasion to inequality, make the ideas stick.

Of course, it’s not perfect. Some parts felt a bit broad and disconnected, also the solutions leaned on the usual “build better institutions and norms” line, which can feel generic. But perfection isn’t the point - politics itself has no easy fixes. What matters is how well Ansell unfolds the story, opening up many new perspectives for me.

Absolutely worth reading, and I’ll revisit one day.

[Quynh Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brings up many interesting perspectives evolving around 5 perilous political traps: democracy, solidarity, equality, security and prosperity. We always have to trade off somethings for what we want. For example, we want a safety net when times are hard but feel reluctant to contribute through tax,… we want to be treated equally but don’t want to share the same interests with different ethnicities or minorities,…
Ansell also built some solutions to each trap and showed pros and cons of each. Eventually, although it seems to us that politics consistently fails to deliver those collective goals from times to times, it is still the best hope we have.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ansell brings structured clarity to the difficulties in politics, highlighting five traps we face as collectives. He backs his argument with analyses of current and historical events, walking the reader through things they may not want to hear but they are better off for having thought about, ultimately making a case for the importance of politics despite its imperfections.

[Carleigh Messner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great job of highlighting how human psychology takes effect in politics and explains how people’s individual interests take priority over collective goals that would better life for the masses. Also demonstrates traps people fall for in voting against their interests because they are more focused on the short term rewards.

[Mark Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this clear, readable and persuasive. Popularises plenty of important ideas from political economics. My one gripe would be that a lot of the examples that supposedly relate to the five "traps" the author uses to structure the book seem to have a fairly tenous connection to them

[Joseph Jojoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read. I really like this book for the attention it devotes to detailed analysis of the five aspects of politics as well as the hopeful note it ends on. Applicability to entrepreneurs and anyone seeking to work in private-public partnerships is apparent.

[Hilary Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book after hearing Ben Ansell deliver the Reith Lectures 2023 (available on BBC Sounds). It explores democracy, security, prosperity and solidarity. Very interesting to read in the run up to an election.

[Roll A Literature Check · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually pretty good. I’m not a politics person but I liked this.