Size And Satisfaction

Hah! Made you read! I'm really referring to this essay from The Economist, about the relationship between nation size and success.

People have been debating the optimal size of a nation-state since the days of Aristotle. Understandably, given the diminutive size of Greek city-states, he thought that “experience has shown that it is difficult, if not impossible, for a populous state to be run by good laws.” The Founding Fathers of the United States fretted about the excessive size of their new nation; but James Madison argued that large size might be an advantage in a democracy, because it reduced the likelihood that special-interest groups would be able to act in unison to suppress the rights of other citizens.

But here's the money quote:

The main reason for the resulting rise in the number of mini-countries is the shift from empire or dictatorship to self-determination, especially in the past quarter-century.

People prefer to keep power close to the local level and prefer to associate with those most like themselves, as the Founding Fathers knew. A lesson we forget at peril to our own nation's cohesion.

It's not a long read, but a meaty one.