Seeing Like a State

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition have Failed
By James Scott
Published in 1999
460 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 5/5

This is one of the best books I have read since I have started reviewing books. It is one of the few books that is a must read for everybody.

James Scott explains how the perceptions states have, which are often based off statistical ideation, often fail to align with reality. The result is that well intentioned policies often turn into disastrous affairs which ruin the lives of real people.

The book, despite having been written 20 years ago, is still completely relevant.

He goes over numerous examples of state policies throughout history, and explains how they failed because the states which sought to implement them did not perceive the realities on the ground. Scott’s examples are clear, interesting, and wide ranging through time and space.

Whether discussing forestry in Prussia, agriculture in the Soviet Union, or urbanization in Brazil, James Scott always impresses. His examples are so interesting and clearly written, that the reader always immediately understands what he wants to say.

This is the single best book I’ve ever read, with perhaps one or two exceptions, that explains why government policies fail.

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