** The Fix by Jonathan Tepperman

The Fix: How Nations Survive and Thrive in a World in Decline is a puzzling book, as it claims to share stories of  positive political change but starts with a gloomy introduction that claims that the world is in utter crisis. Somehow I can think of even relatively recent times when the gloom was darker. The author then proceeds to tell 10 good-news stories, pleasingly drawn from all corners of the globe. But despite his attempts to bring them together at the end into a set of reproducible best practices, most stories seem to have required that most elusive of treasure, a selfless, incorruptible, charismatic, visionary, hands-on leader — or have serious side effects (which the author volunteers, refreshingly). As I said, it is a rather puzzling book…