Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)24 Apr 2025

Understanding and wielding power in local government, with Daniel Golliher

In this episode, Patrick McKenzie (@patio11) is joined by Daniel Golliher, founder of Maximum New York, to discuss the opaque mechanics of political power and how everyday people can effectively engage with government systems. They explore the stark gap between formal political science degrees and how politics actually works, practical tactics for influencing policy (like optimizing the printability of a blog post to placing well-timed calls to legislators), and Daniel’s concept of ‘blue tape’. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize that participating in governance requires far less expertise and connections than most people assume—mainly just the willingness to show up prepared.

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Full transcript available here:
www.complexsystemspodcast.com/understanding-and-wielding-power-in-local-government-with-daniel-golliher/

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Sponsor: Vanta

Vanta automates security compliance and builds trust, helping companies streamline ISO, SOC 2, and AI framework certifications. Learn more at https://vanta.com/complex

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Recommended in this episode:

Daniel Golliher’s essay: Political Science Degrees Must End: https://www.maximumnewyork.com/p/political-science-degrees
Patrick McKenzie: https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-story-of-vaccinateca/
Statecraft by Santi Ruiz: https://www.statecraft.pub/

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Timestamps

(00:00) Intro
(00:33) The reality of political science education
(02:45) The apprenticeship model in government
(04:24) Challenges in government training
(07:06) The role of legislative aides
(10:33) Local government and housing policies
(14:24) Effective political engagement
(16:15) The power of communication in policy
(20:26) Sponsor: Vanta
(21:44) Witnessing government in action
(31:29) Learning government and politics
(32:21) LLMs and policy
(35:10) Engaging with local politics
(37:58) Influencing policy
(43:25) Running for office
(47:10) Blue tape
(58:39) Wrap

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