THE OLD NORMAL
Corporatocracy
A new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has found that the United States’ government more closely resembles an Oligarchy or a Corporatocracy than a Republic or Democracy. Researchers examined nearly 2,000 policy changes in the United States between 1981 and 2002 and compared the changes to the preferences of average Americans, wealthy citizens, and interest and lobbying groups.
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The researchers sought to find the answers to who governs in America, who really rules, and to what extent are U.S. citizens sovereign or powerless. To do this they analyzed four theoretical traditions in American politics. These include Majoritarian Electoral Democracy, Economic Elite Domination, and two types of interest group pluralism, Majoritarian Pluralism and Biased Pluralism. The researchers write, “The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.”
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They found evidence to support the theories of Economic Elite Domination, and Biased Pluralism, but not for theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism. The key difference in the theories is the power and influence that wealthy individuals yield versus the average, or median voter. Read more
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Additional Sources:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2013/4/4/1199146/-Corporatocracy [Corporatocracy]
https://billmoyers.com/story/follow-the-money-covid-19-data-and-trump-campaign-edition/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-myth-of-us-democracy-corporatocracy_b_836573 [The Myth of U.S. Democracy and the Reality of U.S. Corporatocracy]
https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/07/02/koch-backed-groups-fight-to-block-ohio-covid-19-bailouts-despite-crushing-pandemic-deficits/ [Koch-Backed Groups Fight to Block Ohio COVID-19 Bailouts, Despite Crushing Pandemic Deficits]
https://www.exposedbycmd.org/spn/ [THE STATE POLICY NETWORK USES STATE "THINK TANKS" TO FRONT FOR A CORPORATE LOBBYING AGENDA THAT HURTS REGULAR AMERICANS]
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