It's Not the How or the What but the Who

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Electing Country Presidents

Every four years, the citizens of the United States make the world’s most important “who” decision. They choose their president, putting him (or her) in charge of the largest economy and strongest military power on earth. This is a great responsibility. And yet the process by which politicians come to power—not just in the United States but everywhere—has huge room for improvement.

As you now know, great people decisions first start with a wide pool of candidates, including both insiders and outsiders. But around the globe, politics remains a dynastic business, populated by familiar names such as Kennedy, Clinton, and Bush in the United States; Gandhi in India; and Aquino in the Philippines. Yes, Barack Obama, ...