There’s an interesting post over at Marginal Revolution (which is probably the most consistently interesting blog on the planet, so if you don’t read it, start now) about why so many US politicians are lawyers. The phenomenon is not quite as great in the UK though Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Ming Campbell were all lawyers, to name a few.

It got me thinking though about what the best background for an aspiring politician is. Note “best” rather than “smoothest”: I expect that if you want to be in the Cabinet as soon as possible, you should do lots of volunteering for your party while at university; join a think tank or become a parliamentary researcher on graduating; look to become a special advisor in your mid-twenties; and then use your contacts to find a nice seat by the time you’re thirty). But I’m not sure that would prepare you terribly well for the challenges of office. Here’s my plan for people who want to be really good politicians:

1. You really need to understand some basic economics or at least the economic way of thinking about incentives, trade-offs and unintended consequences. It will stop you proposing nice ideas that just won’t work.

2. You really need to develop an appreciation of the power of your opponents’ ideas. If you’re a free-market Conservative who’s never grappled with Rawls or a social democrat who’s never tussled with Hayek, you’re probably overestimating the probability that your current political beliefs are correct.

3. In fact, it’s worth spending a serious amount of time with clever people who disagree with you. Not only will you have to get used to it in political life, but you’ll be a lot better off if you believe in the sincerity of your opponents. There are far too many people who believe that the other side is evil. For British liberals, an internship somewhere like the Cato Institute would be a good idea.

4. You should understand the pressures and problems of front-line workers in the public services, since you’ll be spending a good proportion of your time making decisions that affect them. A stint at Teach First, for example, might be advisable.

5. You also should make an effort to see what social deprivation really means, as most people in politics have never come close to it. Teach First might do the trick; if not, getting involved with something like the Child Poverty Action Group will.

6. You should appreciate the importance of enterprise and wealth creation. After Teach First, some time in business would be useful. If you can do something that gives you an idea about how large bureaucracies work, so much the better. On the other hand, if you can work directly with entrepreneurs and see the unique challenges they face, that would help too.

7. You really need to understand Britain’s place in the world. Living or working abroad for some time is probably an advantage.

Could someone manage all seven? I think it’s possible. I’ve only really done (2), so no political career for me.

What do you think? I’m aware that I’ve not prepared my imaginary politician very well for a national security crisis - but what can? What have I left out? What’s there that shouldn’t be?

Filed under: education, ideas, ukpolitics on January 24th, 2008