Abstract

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Is Democracy Like Sex?

Glenn Harlan Reynolds
University of Tennessee College of Law

Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 48, 1995

Abstract:
Sex is messy and expensive, yet it persists. Evolutionary biologists have spent years wondering why, and many have concluded that one reason for the persistence of sexual reproduction is the superior resistance to parasites that it confers, by constantly reshuffling the target species' genes and characteristics.

Democracy, too, seems messy and expensive, yet it has persisted in the United States for over 200 years. Drawing on the work of Mancur Olson, this Essay suggests that democracy plays a similar anti-parasitic role, by making it harder for government insiders and special interest groups to achieve full symbiosis.

Keywords: democracy, sex, federalism, parasites, constitution

Accepted Paper Series

Date posted: February 12, 2007 ; Last revised: February 12, 2007

Suggested Citation

Reynolds, Glenn Harlan, Is Democracy Like Sex?. Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 48, 1995. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=962498

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Contact Information

Glenn Harlan Reynolds (Contact Author)

University of Tennessee College of Law ( email )

1505 West Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37996-1810
United States
865-974-6744 (Phone)