ABSTRACT
The knowledge problems facing the modern state are not just the product of the foibles of individual political leaders and parties. Most advanced industrialized societies are democracies, and today there is a near-total consensus among political theorists that democracy is superior to other forms of government. Some supporters of a strong activist state recognize that voter ignorance is a serious problem and therefore argue that more power should be concentrated in the hands of expert government planners and bureaucrats, who should be at least partly insulated from political pressure. This chapter shows how voter ignorance and planner ignorance are mutually reinforcing problems. It explains why information problems are often better addressed in markets and civil society than they are under either democratic or bureaucratic political decision-making. Democracy is the dominant form of government among the world's advanced industrialized nations. Widespread voter ignorance is not primarily the result of stupidity, lack of education, or lack of information.
