Claim OwnershipThe Week in Policymaker Ignorance
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© Scott Scheall
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A podcast for all things related to the ignorance of our political representatives. We discuss the latest academic research on policymaker ignorance, analyze infamous instances of policymaker ignorance from world history, and scour the weekly news for examples of politicians doing especially ignorant things.
policymakerignorance.substack.com
policymakerignorance.substack.com
49 Episodes
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Your intrepid host examines the role that policymaker ignorance played in some of the crucial events of the Vietnam War between mid-1965 and Spring 1968. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott analyzes the series of events and decisions (and lies, lots of lies) that led to the United States taking over the task of fighting the Vietnam War from the South Vietnamese. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott analyzes DOGE's activities through the lens of the problem of policymaker ignorance and briefly considers Trump's tariff policies, whatever, exactly, they might be. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the catastrophic reign of Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, the emergence of the Viet Cong and development of the Ho Chi Minh trail, and the calamitous technocratic approach of the Kennedy administration to the Vietnam imbroglio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the role that policymaker ignorance played in the French decision to try to re-conquer their former colony in Indochina following WWII, the American decision to support the French, and the calamitous Battle of Điện Biên Phủ that ended the First Indochina War. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott considers the role that policymaker ignorance played in the failure to contain the Los Angeles fires and the legitimacy of the "climate change" excuse for said failure. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott considers the 2024 American Presidential Election, the candidates, and their campaign promises through the lens of the problem of policymaker ignorance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the relationship between the widespread obsession with maximizing consensus, increasing calls for censorship in Western societies, and the problem of policymaker ignorance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses various methods of promoting popular sovereignty in contexts where policymakers are too ignorant to realize goals associated with voters' preferences. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the problems that policymaker ignorance raises for democratic government. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the Democrats' price control policy and the Republicans' proposed industrial policy through the lens of the problem of policymaker ignorance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott returns to address a few issues discussed on previous episodes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses a classic work of academic political science, James C. Scott's Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott returns after some time away to discuss policymaker ignorance and university administrators, and to offer some updates about a number of stories discussed on previous episodes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the role that ignorance played in the failed Obama-Biden Iran appeasement policy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the role that policymaker ignorance played in laying the groundwork for the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott considers how we should react to policymaker ignorance and what might be done to mitigate it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
Scott discusses the mind-boggling stupidity of Canadian politicians. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
A short diatribe on voters' refusal to support competent candidates. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
We made mistakes, but we're not going to tell you which of the decisions we made were mistakes, because we reserve the right to make the same mistakes again, when politically convenient... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policymakerignorance.substack.com
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