Machiavelli in the South

"In an open society – that is, in a liberal democracy – other types of public goods beyond those described above are generated. These are goods of coordination: freedom to express oneself, to create a party, a business, or an association. Webs of non-governmental, private, and third-sector organizations are responsible for the dynamism and vigor of civil society. In the public sector, the autonomy of certain institutions and the division of powers necessitates dialogue, compromise, debate, and collaboration. In an established democracy, the flipside to protest and popular support is a network of organizations – governmental and non-governmental – that are independent from the central power. These organizations function as a fountain of initiatives and a counterweight. They correct the course of governmental policy and guarantee an orderly succession of leaders.

Owing to his desire to concentrate power, the Prince is threatened by this second type of public good. Here, Machiavelli offered blunt advice. Just as he recommended generosity in the context of basic goods, with goods of coordination he advocated brutality: repress, bribe, co-opt. Means of political discipline are varied and changing. Yet, there is a single, constant objective: the destruction of goods of coordination. This kind of sabotage enables a post-democratic condition to be brought about through democratic means – a situation some authors have not hesitated to classify as “sustainable authoritarianism.”"