Unworthy of assessment

mitted to Parliament, fruitless consultations between government ministers and union representatives, and strong opposition from government officials, not to mention voters. Neither politicians nor the people like rules, reviews or comparisons because these represent an obstacle to the dominant patronclient status. Evaluation is frowned upon and this is reflected in the choices of the electorate as well as the language of Greece’s leaders. In Alexis Tsipras’s televised address on Thursday, in which he announced his resignation as prime minister, opening the path to snap elections, the leftist leader once again turned to the “sovereign people,” saying, “Who can best negotiate debt relief and how? Who can make the certain and steady steps in the direction of the reforms which the country needs and how? You, with your vote, will be the judge of all of us.” This convenient alliance between two evaluation-free parties is the foundation of the fragile contract between the people and politicians ahead of every election. Our voting preferences are mainly driven by self-interest. Farmers tend to support those politicians who pledge to make sure they get to keep their tax breaks. Similarly, property owners vote for those who promise that the