when politician You declare that you are “ready to govern,” but what does “govern” mean? Oxford English Dictionary The verb “to govern” comes from French and first appeared in English in the 14th century. In its intransitive form it meant “to direct or control the actions or affairs of people or places” (translation(Accessed July 2, 2024)
So-called Naive The concept of governance posits that governance is a means to please everyone and make everyone happier. But it is not clear how government decisions and policies can make all individuals, with their different tastes, values, and circumstances, happier. Moreover, what motivates rulers to be benevolent angels? What we know from history shows the opposite.
More realistic Majority The concept of governance is centered on satisfying the society’s majority, that is, the group of voters whose support the rulers need most. Majoritarian democracy means that the majority is largely unconstrained by the constitution. If you are in a minority, you are more likely to be exploited by the majority, meaning that you pay (monetarily, discriminatory, or otherwise) for the benefits and privileges offered to the majority. Note that non-democratic governments must cater to the demands of the majority or a significant majority. However, in a democratic system, minority citizens are more likely to be part of the future majority and it will be their turn to exploit others.
The concept of majority rule is questioned both from an economic and a moral point of view. From a moral point of view, some individuals may remain in a permanent minority and never get their turn to rule and exploit others. From an economic point of view, the alternating or cyclical existence of exploiters and exploited may, on average, produce a net gain, but that average is calculated based on a low level of wealth, because the constant interference of the ruling majority with free exchange and free social interaction in general (which is what exploitation is all about) reduces the general level of wealth.
A more sophisticated concept of governance is called “public goods” or “contractualism.” Governance means overseeing part of a social problem and ensuring the production of the next. Public goods (or services)A commodity that everyone wants, but that cannot be procured at an “efficient” level through voluntary cooperation.
The concept of a “social contract” can be seen from a liberal perspective as an extension of the public interest approach. Governance refers to the directing or guiding of social affairs according to general rules unanimously agreed upon by the members of society. Everyone agrees to a set of rules (the “constitution”), meaning that all members of society will have a net benefit, even if certain political decisions under those rules sometimes go against their interests. No one is consistently exploited. The most developed form of the concept is due to James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock, and related schools of constitutional political economy (see especially James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock). Consent calculation1962; Jeffrey Brennan and James Buchanan, Reasons for the rule1985). Many, perhaps most, liberal thinkers, from Adam Smith to Friedrich Hayek, can be understood to have endorsed a related but less formalized theory that any government action must respect rules and institutions that meet broad agreement (where “broad” means much more than 50% + 1).
However attractive formal or informal contractualist approaches may be, is it realistic to think that obedience to government is in virtually everyone’s interest? For Anthony de Jassay, the answer is no. Any coercive government action, any general rule or set of rules that are supposed to be unanimous, must favor some citizens and harm others. There is no way, other than the arbitrariness of political power, that the benefits of some outweigh the burdens of others (see de Jassay, 1985). situationGovernance means nothing other than favoring some to the detriment of others: taking money from some and sending it to others, privileging some at the expense of others (consumers paying higher prices), or giving privileges to some (e.g. tariffs to protect some producers from foreign competitors). Governments may produce public goods at levels that would otherwise be unattainable, but then they become a place where free riders get the goods for free at the expense of other taxpayers (see de Jassay’s “free rider law”). Social contract, free riding1992).
De Jasai’s theory is consistent with current observations in the democratic world: significant segments of the population hate their democratic rulers, and tightening governance to resolve popular discontent only makes it worse. Many aspects of his theory are controversial, but I am not convinced that the challenges it raises have been convincingly addressed.
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I asked ChatGPT what he meant by “governance” or “governing” when a political leader governs. In summary, he answered that a ruler’s goal is to “ensure the stability, security, and welfare of society.” However, he acknowledged that “governance requires balancing different interests and making difficult decisions.” In other words, some interests are gained at the expense of others. So I instructed “him” to “generate an image that illustrates the concept of governance I just described.” The image he created was as simple as his concept of democracy.
First image of chat GPT after being asked to explain what political leaders mean when they say they govern
