Why do the revolving doors of power always leave us disappointed?
In his new book Why Politics Fails, award-winning Oxford professor Ben Ansell shows that it’s not the politicians that are the problem, it’s that our collective goals result in five political ‘traps’.

Democracy: we all want a say in how we’re governed, but it’s impossible to have any true ‘will of the people’.
Equality: we want to be treated equally, but equal rights and equal outcomes undermine each other.
Solidarity: we want a safety net when times are tough, but often we care about solidarity only when we need it ourselves.
Security: we want protecting from harm, but not if it undermines our freedoms.
Prosperity: we want to be richer tomorrow, but what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul.
Join Ben Ansell, Blavatnik Professor of Government and Public Policy Pepper Culpepper and journalist John Simpson as they discuss how we can escape these traps and avoid political failure.
Date: 20 April 2023, 17:30
Venue: Blavatnik School of Government, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter OX2 6GG
Speakers: Professor Ben Ansell (University of Oxford), Prof. Pepper Culpepper (Blavatnik School of Government), John Simpson (BBC)
Organising department: Blavatnik School of Government
Organiser contact email address: events@bsg.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/events/why-do-revolving-doors-power-always-leave-us-disappointed
Audience: Public
Editor: Freya Paulucci Couldrick