Brian Klaas, a political scientist and associate professor at University College London, argues that while the popular phrase "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" is true to a certain extent, the real problem lies in broken systems that attract and promote the wrong kind of people.

In his research, Klaas has found that people who crave power are more likely to self-select into positions of power, resulting in a slate of leaders who are not representative of the general population. He believes that the solution is to design systems that attract better people.

Klaas challenges the notion that the people in power are entirely to blame and instead reflects on why society is drawn toward abusive leaders.

0:00 Why the wrong people are in charge

1:32 Is corruption universal?

2:11 Martin McFife, the HOA president from hell

3:28 Self-selection bias

4:14 Why we can’t resist “strongmen”

6:26 Expelling the worst of the worst

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About Brian Klaas:

Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast.

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