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I've been reading the Dictator's Handbook, a book based on the Selectorate Theory. It seems quite relevant, but I've found some sources² pointing one of the author as a controversial one and comments saying that the book doesn't use a lot of data (like here³).

It seems to me that the general criticism is similar to this comment⁴ (quoting, "The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions" and "[The author is] Presenting history as almost a rule of law"), but as I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, I'm not sure of my assessments.

The lack of vulgarized resources on the already existing criticism (nothing on the Wikipedia's page¹, for example) and the existing controversy around this theory make me wonder:

• What are exactly the critics made to the Selectorate Theory in literature ?

Further references as footnotes, as I can not afford more than 2 links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory
2. http://decision-making.moshe-online.com/criticism_of_bueno_de_mesquita.html
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/59um69/opinions_on_the_dictators_handbook/
4. https://www.reddit.com/r/CGPGrey/comments/59543r/rules_for_rulers/d95pfzj/

I've been reading the Dictator's Handbook, a book based on the Selectorate Theory. It seems quite relevant, but I've found some sources pointing one of the author as a controversial one and comments saying that the book doesn't use a lot of data (like here).

It seems to me that the general criticism is similar to this comment (quoting, "The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions" and "[The author is] Presenting history as almost a rule of law"), but as I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, I'm not sure of my assessments.

The lack of vulgarized resources on the already existing criticism (nothing on the Wikipedia's page, for example) and the existing controversy around this theory make me wonder:

• What are exactly the critics made to the Selectorate Theory in literature ?

I've been reading the Dictator's Handbook, a book based on the Selectorate Theory. It seems quite relevant, but I've found some sources² pointing one of the author as a controversial and comments saying that that doesn't use a lot of data (like here³).

It seems to me that the general criticism is similar to this comment⁴ (quoting, "The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions" and "[The author is] Presenting history as almost a rule of law"), but as I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, I not sure of my assessments.

The lack of vulgarized resources on the already existing criticism (nothing on the Wikipedia's page¹, for example) and the existing controversy around this theory make me wonder:

• What are exactly the critics made to the Selectorate Theory in literature ?

Further references as footnotes, as I can not afford more than 2 links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory
2. http://decision-making.moshe-online.com/criticism_of_bueno_de_mesquita.html
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/59um69/opinions_on_the_dictators_handbook/
4. https://www.reddit.com/r/CGPGrey/comments/59543r/rules_for_rulers/d95pfzj/

I've been reading the Dictator's Handbook, a book based on the Selectorate Theory. It seems quite relevant, but I've found some sources² pointing one of the author as a controversial one and comments saying that the book doesn't use a lot of data (like here³).

It seems to me that the general criticism is similar to this comment⁴ (quoting, "The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions" and "[The author is] Presenting history as almost a rule of law"), but as I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, I'm not sure of my assessments.

The lack of vulgarized resources on the already existing criticism (nothing on the Wikipedia's page¹, for example) and the existing controversy around this theory make me wonder:

• What are exactly the critics made to the Selectorate Theory in literature ?

Further references as footnotes, as I can not afford more than 2 links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory
2. http://decision-making.moshe-online.com/criticism_of_bueno_de_mesquita.html
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/59um69/opinions_on_the_dictators_handbook/
4. https://www.reddit.com/r/CGPGrey/comments/59543r/rules_for_rulers/d95pfzj/

I've been reading on the Selectorate Theory, it seems quite relevant and the one and only major criticism of the theory that I've found are something between « [The author is] presenting history as almost a rule of law » or « The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions ».

I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, so:

• I don't understand the above-quoted critics, what is the flaws pointed here ?
• If I'm trying to disprove the selectorate theory, what are my best arguments ?

I've been reading the Dictator's Handbook, a book based on the Selectorate Theory. It seems quite relevant, but I've found some sources² pointing one of the author as a controversial and comments saying that that doesn't use a lot of data (like here³).

It seems to me that the general criticism is similar to this comment⁴ (quoting, "The author sees [the] all actors as rational with calculable actions" and "[The author is] Presenting history as almost a rule of law"), but as I'm not familiar with Political Science nor Political Theories, I not sure of my assessments.

The lack of vulgarized resources on the already existing criticism (nothing on the Wikipedia's page¹, for example) and the existing controversy around this theory make me wonder:

• What are exactly the critics made to the Selectorate Theory in literature ?

Further references as footnotes, as I can not afford more than 2 links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory
2. http://decision-making.moshe-online.com/criticism_of_bueno_de_mesquita.html
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/59um69/opinions_on_the_dictators_handbook/
4. https://www.reddit.com/r/CGPGrey/comments/59543r/rules_for_rulers/d95pfzj/