more on this theme     |     more from this text


Single Idea 20088

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites ]

Full Idea

Technocracy is a system where experts are charged with looking after the public interest. ...Technocrats are managers who replace politicians, so they can concentrate on long-term solutions and announce unpopular measures.

Gist of Idea

Technocrats are expert managers, who replace politicians, and can be long-term and unpopular

Source

David van Reybrouck (Against Elections [2013], 2 'technocracy')

Book Ref

Reybrouck,David van: 'Against Elections', ed/tr. Waters,Liz [Bodley Head 2016], p.21


A Reaction

I like technocrats. They just need to be accountable. In the UK we have far more respect for the governor of the Bank of England than for any politician.


The 10 ideas from David van Reybrouck

Nowadays sovereignty (once the basis of a state) has become relative [Reybrouck]
Democracy is the best compromise between legitimacy and efficiency [Reybrouck]
Technocrats may be efficient, but they lose legitimacy as soon as they do unpopular things [Reybrouck]
Today it seems almost impossible to learn the will of the people [Reybrouck]
There are no united monolothic 'peoples', and no 'national gut feelings' [Reybrouck]
Technocrats are expert managers, who replace politicians, and can be long-term and unpopular [Reybrouck]
In the 18th century democratic lots lost out to elections, that gave us a non-hereditary aristocracy [Reybrouck]
Representative elections were developed in order to avoid democracy [Reybrouck]
You don't really govern people if you don't involve them [Reybrouck]
A referendum result arises largely from ignorance [Reybrouck]