The Engineering of Liberty: Structural Mechanics of the State

Key Insights

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• Liberty can be modeled as a dynamic equilibrium in state-space systems
• Institutional stiffness determines a state’s resilience to power concentration
• Material fatigue in political norms leads to permanent deformation
• Cascade failure occurs when ambition exceeds institutional yield points

References

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1. Schmitt, Carl. The Concept of the Political. University of Chicago Press, 1996.
2. Diamond, Larry. The Spirit of Democracy. Times Books, 2008.
3. Acemoglu, Daron and Robinson, James A. Why Nations Fail. Crown Business, 2012.
4. Fukuyama, Francis. The Origins of Political Order. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
5. Huntington, Samuel P. Political Order in Changing Societies. Yale University Press, 1968.