An alternative title could be How the World Works. True incentives for leaders are analyzed—from the pros and cons of building better roads, to why certain school subjects are prioritized depending on the country. And it’s not limited to dictators—CEOs, democracies, and foreign aid are covered in detail.

This feels like a cross between Why Nations Fail and The 48 Laws of Power. The former for digging beneath common perceptions of how a political system works (and finding real solutions), and the latter for the Machiavellian tone that comes and goes throughout. Example of the tone: “As we all know, the victor writes history. Leaders should therefore never refrain from cheating if they can get away with it.”

Advice for foreign policy and aid is given throughout. How to help resource-rich (cursed) countries, fixing what foreign aid is spent on, a regime’s true incentives for clean drinking water, the ideal citizens and environment for successful revolutions, how tourism can tip regimes toward democracy, etc.

The book revolves around a few ideas: "Politics is about individuals”, "No leader is monolithic”, which then leads to hierarchy as "the foundation behind the working of politics in all organizations, big and small”.

On communication within coalitions:
"It is not happenstance that a SIM (subscriber identity module) card for mobile phones costs over $1,000 in Burma."

Doing the obvious in fixing democracy:
"Along with wiping out coalition-reducing gerrymanders, the time may well have come to amend the US Constitution to get rid of the electoral college."

Democracy vs autocracy (difficult to read in the US of 2020):
"Autocratic politics is a battle for private rewards. Democratic politics is a battle for good policy ideas.”

Expanding immigrant access and rights:
"Amnesty for illegal immigrants is a mechanism to choose selectively those who demonstrate over a fixed period their ability to help produce revenue by working, paying taxes, and raising children who contribute to the national economy, national political life, and national social fabric."