Financial inclusion is a tough problem. A while back there was some uproar and discussion of what the Bell curve reveals about intelligence. The USA military, for example, will not accept anybody with an IQ below 83. They discovered through trial and error that less intelligent soldiers were a menace to themselves and others. It required too many resources to get them to perform anywhere near what was needed.
Globally, about 16% of the population has an IQ below 83. Of the 8.1 billion people on Earth, almost 1.3 billion would struggle to carry out simple jobs. This is in a world that increasingly leans towards technocracy and knowledge work. This is a big part of the challenge. How do we include people into an economy that is increasingly complex, increasingly automated, and increasingly demanding of skill?
How do we provide jobs for challenged people that is real, useful, and dignified? How do we ensure equality of opportunity when not everybody has the capacity to take advantage an opportunity?
I'm not implying that populism is a revolt by the less intelligent. I think populism is a revolt against exactly what you said, centralization that does not take into account the differences between people. We are just statistical data with margins of error to big government.
And, how do they affect things like voting outcomes, when they don't necessarily understand the complexities of the economy, society, or the technological needs? 1 person, 1 vote in a room full of idiots, leads to idiotic decisions.
Yes. But, it is being hijacked by the intelligent knowing they can use people's pain to control them and take power. Populism is just another power grab.
I read this book, which discusses much the same idea. Here's an excerpt.
The implication is that the more our technology and knowledge progresses, the less we are bound by virtue and basic humanity.
The book takes much of its inspiration from The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis
It sounds interesting