I have a feeling that some of the "mods abusing power" phenomenon is that they may be subconsciously afraid of losing their mod position and all the power and authority that comes with. They have no method to hold that power tight except to wield it against any perceived threat.

So paying mods might reduce that behavior since their power is tied to them doing their job properly and there is an authority to appeal to if they suck and abuse power.

Not to say dang isn't doing a great job only because he's paid to! But I agree with you, paid mods have different rewards and goals than volunteer mods.

This and everything else shows that. It’s hard to find examples where trusting groups of people with power has worked out well in the medium/long term.

Singapore?