We, The Citizens: A Review

There is an impossible trilemma at play when it comes to writing explainers:

How does one manage to be simple, interesting and comprehensive all at once?

And the short answer to the question is that this isn’t possible. One can choose to be simple and interesting, but one must then give up on covering everything associated with a topic. One could choose to be interesting and comprehensive, but then one has to sacrifice simplicity. And finally, being simple and comprehensive is possible, but be prepared to bid adieu to being interesting.

Here’s the really bad news. None of us (present author included) manage to figure this out right away. When we create something – a blog post, a book, a video, an Instagram reel, etc., – we aspire to do all three things at once. Not only does this guarantee failure, but you may well end up achieving not one of the three goals.

And trust me, because I speak from many, many years of having experienced this, both as a consumer and a producer.

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And that’s why I had a smile on my face while reading the introduction to We, The Citizens. Because the authors of the book are quite clear that it isn’t an academic tome that drones on and on and on. It is, instead, a book with a clear bias towards clarity and simplicity.

But they are quite clear about the fact that this book is also a starter, not the main course. Or, if you prefer, you should have two clear takeaways by the time you finish reading the book.

As a student, you should find your appetite properly and thoroughly whetted. Go read more books about public policy! Which ones, you ask? One of the three authors has a pretty good answer, you could begin there (and I talk more about this down below, so stay tuned). Or any other book of your choice, but please, do read more about public policy.

And the second takeaway as a doer is the one that the authors themselves leave you with:

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Think of the rest of the book – the part between the introduction and the very last panel, as the answers to the questions one inevitably has:

1. What was this audacious dream (and why was it audacious)?
2. Why does the responsibility to fulfill it lie upon us (why doesn’t somebody else go and do this, yaar?)
3. Why do we have much work to do (75 years and counting and we still have work to do)?

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The answers to these questions are given in a fashion that informs and entertains at the same time. And this alone is reason enough to buy the book, because very few of them (books, that is) manage to lie at the intersection.

And if you know your political history and current affairs, you will enjoy the many zingers that will leave you gasping, grinning and grimacing in equal measure. Even better, this holds true regardless of your political affiliation.

The book uses the same framework that we learnt about in Missing in Action:

In order to do this, they divide the world into three different aspects: the state, the market and society. Or, to use their terminology: sarkaar, bazaar and samaaj. Think of the individual, and the individual’s life, as being impacted by her interactions with these three ‘pillars’ of society. How do these pillars impact her? How do these pillars interact with each other?

https://econforeverybody.com/2023/01/16/in-praise-of-missing-in-action-by-pranay-kotasthane-and-raghu-s-jaitley/

But that framework is used, in this book, to introduce elements of public policy, economics (and related subjects) to the interested layperson, and that in an engaging, humorous fashion. The special trick that the authors manage is being able to do so without ever once appearing overly simplistic.

And if you think you know your economics (or your public policy, for that matter), you will still enjoy reading this book. I was wondering how to phrase this next bit, but I will outsource the job to the one and only Roger Ebert, who is talking about one of my all time favorite movies:

“The Princess Bride” reveals itself as a sly parody of sword and sorcery movies, a film that somehow manages to exist on two levels at once: While younger viewers will sit spellbound at the thrilling events on the screen, adults, I think, will be laughing a lot.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-princess-bride-1987

I very much plan on reading this book with my daughter, and taking my own sweet time over it. And I hope she sits spellbound as she learns the nuts and bolts of public policy, but I can assure you that her dad has already dished out an appreciative chuckle or two.

Why, the page of contents alone is worth the price of entry! Fun task for those of you who will read the book soon: can you spot Doordarshan, Ronald Coase, Times of India advertisements and Hayek in the page of contents? Funner* task: how many other references can you spot? And not just in the page of contents, mind you, but throughout the book. So even for those of us who are likely to think yaar, ye sab pata hai, the book is still worth a read.

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Best of all, the concluding chapters do a good job of recommending books one might choose to tackle after having finished this one, beginning with In The Service of the Republic.

The one “complaint” I have about the book is that I found myself wishing for an extended “Here’s what you could read next” section. If you are, say, a twelve year old, you most certainly can (and should!) read this book, and then keep on reading many more books related to this topic. But which books? The answer will differ for all of us, and while there are some capital recommendations out there, they are perhaps a little bit too advanced for the younger reader.

But if I may be allowed a sly reference of my own, maybe the authors would consider “bridging” the gap between their own “capital” endeavor and these slightly more advanced lists? An intermediate book on public policy to bridge the gap, as it were.

On behalf of all of the readers of the book, present and future, allow greedy ol’ me to channel my inner Twist and ask the sirs (and the ma’am!) if we could please have some more?