According to the two distinguished professors who wrote this, most populist authoritarians have come to power primarily by articulating and exploiting economic inequalities and cultural divisions. Although those in control of most countries not yet governed by a populist authoritarian are unlikely to be able to end cultural divisions, if the authors are correct it would seem foolish for any government in power that is not dominated by a populist authoritarian not to be taking the strongest measures possible to minimize economic inequalities.



There are, of course, limits to what a government can do to minimize economic inequalities, especially when there are cultural and other factors that contribute to those inequalities (e.g., by definition, one-half the population is incapable of performing work that requires a level of intelligence that is above the median). However, within those limits it would appear to behoove any popularly elected officials to work toward that goal.