Aris Trantidis - Why Should We Care About Clientelism?
From The Curious Task by Institute for Liberal Studies
April 22, 2026 · 1h 4m · Episode 349
About this episode
Alex speaks with Aris Trantidis about clientelism and its implications for democracy and public choice.
In this episode, Alex speaks with Aris Trantidis about his book Clientelism and why it matters for anyone concerned with democracy, public choice, and the modern state. Trantidis explains clientelism as a system of political exchange in which politicians trade targeted favours, contracts, regulation, and other private benefits for support, campaign resources, and loyalty - arguing that this dynamic is not a "bug" but a structural feature of politics that can distort markets and democracy. References Clientelism — Aris Trantidishttps://www.cambridge.org/ca/universitypress/subjects/economics/economics-general-interest/clientelism?format=PB The Calculus of Consent - James M. Buchanan and Gordon Tullockhttps://a.co/d/0fslxBBZ The Logic of Collective Action - Mancur Olsonhttps://a.co/d/06w0x507 The Selectorate Theory and International Politics - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Randolph M Siversonhttps://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62239/chapter-abstract/550747911?redirectedFrom=fulltext The Myth of the Rational Voter - Bryan Caplanhttps://a.co/d/0cufjmjt Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious…
People in this episode
Host: Alex
Guest: Aris Trantidis
Topics covered
- clientelism
- democracy
- public choice
- political exchange
- modern state
Keywords
- clientelism
- politics
- democracy
- public choice
- political exchange
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Clientelism, The Calculus of Consent, The Logic of Collective Action, The Selectorate Theory and International Politics, The Myth of the Rational Voter
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