Candidates Should be Tested
Representative governments are not choosing good leaders. This white paper argues that there is nothing wrong with representative government itself, only the way in which it is currently executed. Nation-state representatives are selected either through popular elections (e.g. much of the west) or insider power brokering (e.g. China). In many western nation-states, leaders are elected based on their ability to market themselves. The ability to self-promote and speak well in a public forum is a different skill set than being an effective administrator.
A strong understanding of governmental functions is necessary to be an effective administrator, however, there is currently no requirement to know these laws or processes to run for public office. Candidates should be required to take a “Public Service Test” as well as a personality test. The results should be made public so there are data driven metrics to aid voters in their decision process.