Daily Book Review: Art of Community

I've been recommended this book several times because of the field I work in. Hearing the words "Proprietary community" made me think about it in a more positive light, as opposed to "Art of Community" which sounds like Hillary Clinton book. To say that the book surprised me would be an understatement - I had no idea it would talk about what it did.

When one thinks of community, one often reaches the conclusions of markets, governments, culture, and family. Actually, it has quite little to do with any of those: it's about reducing externalities. This reminds me of a previous book that I'd read which defines governments as externality-internalising agencies. And where do we learn about governance?

Trailer parks, shopping malls, and other privately developed and managed communities are given as an example, as are "temporary communities" such as aeroplanes, trains, and theatres. It's actually fascinating to think of these service-providing firms as providers of governance services as well: it's all about making governments naked for what they are.

The book also defines sovereignty as the unilateral use of force on part of a governance agency, and that sovereignty is the failure of said agency to solve a problem effectively. It's interesting to think of governance providers this way, because those with the least amount of sovereignty tend to provide the best service.

Solid writing and subject, but by no means mind-blowing. It's a good entry-level book about governance entrepreneurship, but little more.
6/10