“At a time when most of us have glumly concluded that our governments are broken and our domestic and international problems are insurmountable, I aim to show how the right individuals can overcome the most intimidating obstacles–if they follow the right strategies. This book makes a data driven case for optimism at a moment of gathering darkness…One of the basic premises of this book is that while the details of all the troubles currently wracking the world vary, they share an underlying cause: the failure of politicians to lead.”
The Fix introduces ten big problems, and ten countries or places which have successfully overcome them to flourish. Not all solutions can be transplanted or last for the long-term, of course, but they provide ideas and inspiration to the rest of us. The ten are:
- Inequality – Lula in Brazil with his Bolsa Familia (Cash grants to the poor)
- Immigration – Pierre Trudeau in Canada (Intentional multiculturalism)
- Islamic Extremism – Indonesia (Rehabilitate terrorists, and co-opt their agenda)
- Civil War – Rwanda (Village-level court system to sentence those involved in the genocide)
- Corruption – Singapore (strict penalties, systemic changes, and high pay for officials)
- Resource Curse – Botswana (Establish good institutions first)
- Energy – U.S. Shale gas (Strong property rights)
- Middle-Income Trap – South Korea (Use crises to strengthen the system)
- Political Gridlock (International) – Enrique Pena Nieta in Mexico (in the first part of his term, at least – bargain with everything on the table so can trade in reciprocity)
- Political Gridlock (U.S.) – Bloomberg’s fight against terrorism in NYC (Get the data and do the right thing)
The book is great fun. It’s well written, in a clear, informal style, and the author clearly had fun researching and writing it. His list is in some ways notable for what it omits—global warming does not appear, I suspect because there are no countries that have cracked it—but for all that they are still ten big problems. Some of his solutions I doubt will work elsewhere, or at least will require completely reformulating, but they remain interesting and very relevant.
Disclosure: I read The Fix as an advance reader copy. You can read reviews and order your own copy here: The Fix.