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Full Idea
Short of the whole planet there is no visible limit to the advantages of size, both in economic and in political organisation.
Gist of Idea
The economic and political advantages of great size seem to have no upper limit
Source
Bertrand Russell (Authority and the Individual [1949], 2)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'Authority and the Individual' [Unwin 1977], p.26
A Reaction
Obviously there are also disadvantages, such as the vast distances, and the alienation of people far from the centre. I take economies of scale to be one of the advantages of socialist nationalisations.
| 22581 | The size of a city is decided by the maximum self-sufficient community that can be surveyed [Aristotle] |
| 19993 | In small republics citizens identify with the public good, and abuses are fewer [Montesquieu] |
| 19992 | In a large republic there is too much wealth for individuals to manage it [Montesquieu] |
| 19814 | A state must be big enough to preserve itself, but small enough to be governable [Rousseau] |
| 19815 | Too much land is a struggle, producing defensive war; too little makes dependence, and offensive war [Rousseau] |
| 19822 | If the state enlarges, the creators of the general will become less individually powerful [Rousseau] |
| 19823 | If the population is larger, the government needs to be more powerful [Rousseau] |
| 22679 | Vast empires are bad for well-being and freedom, though they may promote glory [Tocqueville] |
| 22680 | People would be much happier and freer in small nations [Tocqueville] |
| 23156 | The economic and political advantages of great size seem to have no upper limit [Russell] |