Principal Agent

Twere I a politician facing a budget in deficit, rather than picking winners or losers, I’d just cut every bureaucratic department’s budget by the same required percentage in order to balance the books.

The departments would undoubtedly find the required cost cutting measures with the least impact on their remit.

Let’s call this approach anti-clientelism.

The voters would have little to quibble about since all their pet handouts would be getting equal treatment.

The opposition, they would have only the moon to rage at.

And for the politicians, a facile life without undue rancour.

It is usually a mistake to believe that the complex solution is the best one.

And good leadership normally requires full delegation combined with very simple, high level decisions.

However it is no surprise that such a solution has never been proposed.

Politicians are by their nature addicted to the façade of control and to the attention, both negative and positive, garnered by playing God; this despite the fact that they are usually wonderfully unqualified in their attempts, just so.