Who Should Run the State?: Democracy, Professional Government and a New Architecture of Power

Who should run the state: elected politicians or professional public servants? Democracy gives citizens the power to choose the direction of their country. But must electoral victory also give a political majority direct control over the entire machinery of the state? Who Should Run the State? explores a different architecture of democratic power-one designed to preserve political choice while separating it from the professional administration of government. Ioannis Staikouras develops a model in which Parliament, elected through proportional representation, remains the central source of democratic legitimacy. A Political Council sets national goals, public policies and major strategic decisions. Professional Executive Authorities then implement those policies with institutional continuity, expertise and operational independence. The proposal examines: - proportional representation combined with simple-majority decision-making - a Political Council replacing the traditional executive cabinet - professional Executive Authorities with seven-year, non-renewable leadership terms - merit-based selection through independent professional assessment - constructive replacement of political leadership instead of government collapse - automatic mechanisms that prevent budgetary and institutional deadlock - an independent judiciary that defines the boundary between political direction and professional execution >The book does not argue for government by technocrats. It asks a different question, that is, can democracy remain fully political, while the state becomes more professional? The result is a proposal for a democratic state in which governments may change without requiring the state itself to be reset after every election.