The political process acts as an aggregator of individual preferences, and politicians respond to voter voices, so the U.S. banned ozone-depleting chemicals (a good deal for Americans) but stayed indifferent to costly global-warming action—whereas in poor countries ruled by tyranny the voice of the people matters far less, possibly explaining differential international responses to risks like DDT bans.
causalpending
Speaker
Russ RobertsEvidence Quote
“in the United States politicians respond pretty much to the voices of the voters not always there's gaps ... but as Brian Kaplan has argued in an earlier podcast we pretty much get what we want ... When we go outside the United States particularly in poor countries where where tyranny is common and thugs often rule the voice of the people doesn't matter not nearly as much”
Created: 6/15/2026, 9:17:23 AM
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