Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us

(Hardback)

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'Pertinent!' Margaret Atwood

'Illuminating . . . reveals why some people and systems are more likely to be corrupted by power than others' Adam Grant

'Passionate, insightful, and occasionally jaw-dropping . . . Corruptible sets out the story of the intoxicating lure of power-and how it has shaped the modern world' Peter Frankopan

'A brilliant exploration' Dan Snow

'Klaas is the rarest of finds: a political scientist who can also tell great stories. He mixes memorable anecdotes with stern analysis to tackle one of the biggest questions of all: do we have to be ruled by bad people' - Peter Pomerantsev

Does power corrupt or are corrupt people drawn to power

Are tyrants the products of bad systems or are they just bad people

And why do we give power to awful people

In Corruptible, professor of global politics Brian Klaas draws on over 500 interviews with some of the world's top leaders - from the noblest to the dirtiest - including presidents, war criminals, cult leaders, terrorists, psychopaths, and dictators to reveal the most surprising workings of power: how children can predict who is going to win an election based just on the faces of politicians; why narcissists make more money; what makes a certain species of bee more corrupt than others; whether a thirst for power is a genetic condition; and why being the second in command is in fact the smartest choice.

From scans of psychopathic brains, to the effects of power on monkey drug use, Klaas weaves cutting-edge research with astonishing encounters (including a ski lesson with the former viceroy of Iraq, tea with a former UK prime minister, and breakfast with Madagascar's yogurt kingpin president). Written by the creator of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, Corruptible challenges our basic assumptions about power, from the board room to the war room, and provides a roadmap for getting better leaders at every level.

Reviews

Illuminating . . . reveals why some people and systems are more likely to be corrupted by power than others

-- Adam Grant

Passionate, insightful, and occasionally jaw-dropping . . . Corruptible sets out the story of the intoxicating lure of power - and how it has shaped the modern world

-- Peter Frankopan
A brilliant exploration . . . This book builds Brian Klaas' reputation, offering an essential guide through our world of democratic decay, corruption, and cronyism -- Dan Snow

Klaas is the rarest of finds: a political scientist who can also tell great stories. He mixes memorable anecdotes with stern analysis to tackle one of the biggest questions of all: do we have to be ruled by bad people

-- Peter Pomerantsev
A GPS system for navigating a world increasingly full of illiberal democracies, modernised dictatorships, and populists who care only for power . . . The power-hungry don't ask why, they only ask why not -- Garry Kasparov, Chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative and the Human Rights Foundation
A fascinating, fun read . . . Klaas has striking insights, presents impeccable science accessibly, and tells terrific stories-all with great writing and wonderfully mordant humor -- Robert Sapolsky, author of Behave
The Freakonomics of political science -- Max Boot, Washington Post columnist
A MAGNIFICENT BOOK THAT IS AS RIVETING AS A CRIME STORY -- Peter Turchin, author of Ultrasociety
An extraordinary interrogation of the workings of power . . . A critical book for these troubling times. A must read! -- Eddie S. Glaude Jr., author of Begin Again
Engrossing, thought-provoking, and funny . . . An important exploration of how ordinary people can keep leadership out of the hands of monsters -- Heather Cox Richardson, author of How the South Won the Civil War
Rich insights and fascinating observations . . . [Shines] a light on recent efforts to ensure that the corrupt don't get power, and the incorruptible do -- Richard Stengel
Surrounded by people, companies and organisations that abuse their power, we've never needed Brian Klaas's penetrating study more. He has amassed a rich collection of evidence to offer some hope that we can pick better leaders and hold them to account -- Polly Toynbee
Powerful, authoritative, humane and utterly compelling. This is a book of big ideas, written with nuance and dynamism. When you turn the last page, you realise that you'll never look at the world quite the same way again -- Ian Dunt
Fun and entertaining . . . With a deft literary hand, Klaas describes how positions that offer power and possibilities for enrichment feature incentives that attract the wrong sort of people -- Washington Post
A compelling enquiry into power, its abuse, and why the wrong people wield it, by a learned and invigorating storyteller -- Nigella Lawson
UNEXPECTED INSIGHTS . . . presented in a digestible and accessible way...Maybe the most important lesson of Corruptible is that when psychopaths inadvertently reveal their true selves, the institutions that they plague must take action that is swift, brutal and merciless -- Business Insider
Absorbing, provocative, far-reaching . . . Essential for interpreting history and world events-both the province of tyrants-alike -- Kirkus Reviews
ENRICHED BY COLORFUL CASE STUDIES AND LUCID EXPLANATIONS . . . a nuanced and entertaining guide to the meaning and function of power -- Publishers Weekly
A NEW, INSIGHTFUL, AND SEDITIOUS ROADMAP TO THE PRIMAL URGE TO DOMINATE . . . Dangerous as a drug addition, power changes both those who have it and those who just want a quick fix -- Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent of NBC News
Klaas is an entertaining guide who has read widely across different fields and is able to connect his findings insightfully and judiciously . . . From parliaments to executive suites, the world could benefit from innovative systems designed in the way that Brian Klaas lays out with clarity and passion -- Charles King, The TLS

Author Bio

Dr Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and a columnist for The Washington Post. Klaas is also a frequent television commentator and political consultant. He was previously based at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. He is also the host of the Power Corrupts podcast.

He is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US foreign policy, American politics and the author of three books, The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy, The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy, and How to Rig an Election. He has advised governments, US political campaigns, NATO, the European Union, multi-billion dollar investors, international NGOs, and international politicians.