Let me start by saying this is a review by a reader very sympathetic to the author's case. I believe that insiders and cronies subvert the government and are a serious burden on everyone else's prosperity and freedom, moreover I believe this is something that can happen in all government systems. I also am a big fan of some of the reviewers in the "advance praise" section, but I'm guessing they did not actually read the book.

The first problem is that it is mind-numbingly repetitious. Nearly every page we are told that insiders and cronies cause damage, that they can exist in democratic as well as autocratic societies, and they are caused as much by the supply side (government insiders seeking to sell influence) as the demand side (cronies seeking to extract rents from the government). These are all points on which there is little serious disagreement. Proponents of big government may think they are smaller than libertarian types like me do, and are more optimistic about ability to reduce them in the future, and put more value on the things government can deliver if it accepts some cronyism; but they don't dispute that the problem exists nor that it can happen in democracies, nor that insiders can be part of the problem.

The second problem is there is little useful material on the important or controversial points. There is no attempt to measure the problem, or to weigh it against good consequences of government programs and regulations. There is no discussion of effectiveness or ineffectiveness of schemes to reduce it. There isn't even discussion about degrees and types of problems. The author seems to consider coziness of the Food and Drug Administration with medical experts and pharmaceutical manufacturers equivalent to kleptocrats who steal everything of value in an entire country.

The third problem is the author does not give serious consideration to alternative views, such as the "Why I Love Mayor Daley" school that holds corruption is often the most efficient way to balance competing interests while actually getting anything done. If an industry-regulator-complex that ensures healthy profits and no problems that make customers mad enough to make politicians care enough to clip the regulators' wings is the same as entrenched systemic corruption of totalitarian states, then it's pointless to discuss if there are some advantages to accepting a little mutual backscratching to cushion the blows where government meets people.

Finally, the book is hard to read. The author starts by stating his points, then goes on a book length discursion of global and historical examples, with no clear plan. The impression is like reading someone's research notes before they are organized to support a coherent argument. The logical problem is that if cronyism exists everywhere and at all times, it cannot be blamed for bad things like empires falling or wars starting, because it was there when the empire was thriving and there was peace as well. It also means we need better solutions than just "stop it." Personally, I consider it an intractable problem and the best way to reduce it is to reduce government powers and government goals. Attacking it directly just seems to make it stronger.

If you don't agree that insiders and cronies are a huge problem, this book will just irritate you. It will read like a bunch of examples, none of which is supported to convince someone who isn't already predisposed to accept it. If you do agree with it, you will find a lot of data to support what you already believe, but not presented in a form so you can learn or refine or even change your views. It is probably most useful for people in between, who might be impressed with the weight of the evidence.