The hottest Substack posts of afternoon walk

And their main takeaways

Authority

79 implied HN points • 06 May 24
🌍 World Politics Authority Government Constitution Legitimacy Rights
  1. States come to realize the limits of using force to maintain authority, eventually evolving to justify power through legitimacy and new bases such as crime prevention, food production, and dispute resolution.
  2. Theories of taming power in parliamentary systems involve internal coherence and control, with power flowing from the people to Parliament and the government being tamed by obeying Parliament's commands.
  3. India's adoption of a constitution in 1950 aimed to divide authority, secure rights, but struggles to fully embody these principles, resulting in a system that is centralized, disorganized, and sometimes brutal.

Think seriously about state capacity

39 implied HN points • 09 Jun 24
🏥 Health Politics Regulations Enforcement
  1. Medical Council of India regulations require doctors to prescribe drugs using pharmacological names to prevent favoritism towards specific brands.
  2. Enforcing regulations without the necessary capacity can lead to unjust and coercive actions.
  3. Effective regulation requires thoughtful analysis, consideration of jurisdiction and powers, and weighing the costs and benefits before enforcement.

I'm going to try to write again

79 implied HN points • 10 Apr 24
📚 Literature Writing Substack Quality
  1. The author is resuming writing after a break by starting a new Substack, with no set commitments or promises
  2. The author expresses uncertainty about the longevity of the new Substack but is taking it step by step
  3. Despite not writing publicly for a year, the author has been working on occasional reports and op-eds

Against Searching for Saints

2 HN points • 15 Jul 24
🚌 Education Medicine
  1. Incentives should focus on supporting people who already exhibit desired behavior, rather than modifying behavior with rewards.
  2. Human motivations and interests are diverse; not everyone needs incentives to do good work.
  3. Identifying and hiring motivated agents who align with organizational goals can be challenging due to the complexity of human motivations.