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From: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Re: Experimentation and Danger
Message-ID: <878@mmintl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Dec-85 23:28:35 EST
Article-I.D.: mmintl.878
Posted: Tue Dec 10 23:28:35 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Dec-85 19:18:38 EST
References: <344@pedsgd.UUCP> <28200281@inmet.UUCP> <817@mmintl.UUCP> <1772@teddy.UUCP>
Reply-To: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Organization: Multimate International, E. Hartford, CT
Lines: 36
Summary: 


In article <1772@teddy.UUCP> lkk@teddy.UUCP (Larry K. Kolodney) writes:
>In article <817@mmintl.UUCP> franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) writes:
>>
>>If small governments are so much better, why are the best governments in
>>the world all of relatively large countries?  (Of course, the worst
>>governments in the world are also all of relatively large countries.
>>But that doesn't answer the question.)
>
>What???  I don't see any evidence for this.
>
>Sweden is a small country (pop. 8 million) yet it has one of the
>finer governments in the world.  SO do Denmark, Holland, Costa Rica.  
>
>Large governments include: soviet union, china, and India, none of which
>would make my top ten list.
>
>Small governments have the advantage that they generally don't 
>have as many competing constituencies (cf. USA),  generally representing a 
>relatively homogeneous population, with common goals.
>
>Small governments can also be more responsive to their constituents, being
>"closer" to the action.

In my book, 8 million is not a small country.  Medium-sized, rather.  I
had in mind the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France, West Germany.
India wouldn't make my top ten, but it wouldn't make the bottom ten, either.
For truly awful governments, besides the Horrible Communist Monsters, look at
Cambodia, Albania, most of Africa.

The disadvantage of small governments is that they are more vulnerable to
being taken over by a small group.  Also, in a mostly homogeneous population,
what minorities there are are more vulnerable to exploitation by the
majority.

Frank Adams                           ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka
Multimate International    52 Oakland Ave North    E. Hartford, CT 06108