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Cover of The Sovereign Individual

The Sovereign Individual

James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg

Publish date
1997
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Description
Published in 1997, The Sovereign Individual analyzes historical transitions in political and economic power, focusing on the shift from the industrial era to the information age. The authors argue that advancements in microprocessing and digital technology will decentralize power, eroding the authority of nation-states and traditional forms of taxation. Consequently, they project the rise of economically autonomous individuals who can operate globally and protect their assets through cryptography. The book is intended for readers interested in economic history, political theory, and the long-term societal consequences of technological disruption.

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Books cited in The Sovereign Individual

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  1. The Great Reckoning

    James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg

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    The authors' previous collaborative work providing the preliminary analytical framework on the megapolitical logic of violence.

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  2. The Rise and Decline of Nations

    Mancur Olson

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    Cited extensively to explain how special-interest cartels drive institutional sclerosis in modern democratic welfare states.

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  3. The Denationalization of Money

    Friedrich A. Hayek

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    Cited as theoretical foundation for privately issued, stateless digital currencies that break government monetary monopolies.

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  4. Exit, Voice, and Loyalty

    Albert O. Hirschman

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    Cited to argue that microprocessing technology empowers individual economic exit over democratic political voice.

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  5. Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990–1992

    Charles Tilly

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    Cited for historical analysis linking military technology, protection rackets, and the formation of European nation-states.

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  6. The Twilight of Sovereignty

    Walter B. Wriston

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    Cited regarding how telecommunications and information technology undermine the traditional sovereign authority of nation-states.

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  7. The Third Wave

    Alvin Toffler

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    Influenced their sweeping view of historical epochs driven by shifting technological and productive modes.

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Recommendations

  • The Network State

    Balaji Srinivasan

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    A modern technological successor formalizing the book's predictions on cloud communities forming competitive online micro-sovereignties.

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  • The Bitcoin Standard

    Saifedean Ammous

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    Directly develops the authors' early forecast of cryptographic, non-state digital money that resists confiscation.

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  • The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium

    Martin Gurri

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    Documents the collapse of legacy state authority and institutional trust resulting from the digital information revolution.

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