The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is the Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University (NYU), Director of NYU’s Center for Conflict Resolution and Multilateral Cooperation, a Senior Fellow Emeritus at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and the co-founder of a consulting firm that applies the principles of game theory to assist decision-makers. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan, and he has received two honorary doctorates from University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of Haifa in Israel. Bueno de Mesquita has also received numerous awards, including the DMZ Peace Prize for contributing to the advancement of peace in Korea and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Conflict Processes Section of the American Political Science Association. His research focuses on conflict resolution, complex negotiations, and political and economic development. Bueno de Mesquita is the author of over a dozen books, more than 120 articles, and numerous media pieces including for The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Alastair Smith is a professor of political science and the Bernhardt Denmark Chair of International Relations at NYU. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of Rochester. His research focuses on international relations, comparative politics, and political economy. Smith is the author of five books and over 50 journal articles. He has received several awards, including the American Political Science Association’s Conflict Processes Best Book Award.

Drawing on their combined research experiences, the authors offer a detailed analysis of what leaders in small- and large-coalition systems do to stay in power in The Dictator’s Handbook. The authors’ breadth of knowledge on political and economic systems and international relations underscores the validity of their argument that leaders only care about coming to power and staying in power. The authors confess that they offer a fairly cynical view of politics. However, they do so in the hope that we can fix our political systems and make the world a better place once we understand the mechanisms that drive political leaders.