4 ms·
> It's a bigger issue in the US since policymaking is strongly influenced by those with money. This is a popular talking point, but one that has thus far been
by bhupy 5y ago
> It's a bigger issue in the US since policymaking is strongly influenced by those with money.
This is a popular talking point, but one that has thus far been soundly refuted by empirical results.
https://twitter.com/AlecStapp/status/1401596911522615299 https://twitter.com/AlecStapp/status/1401596911522615299
No amount of money will install a political leader that cannot win votes.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2605401 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2605401
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/money-and-elections-a-complicated-love-story/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/money-and-elections-a-c...
- lifeformed 5y agoNot elections, policymaking. The influence of lobbyists and corporate donations on how laws are formed and applied is well known and substantial.
- bhupy 5y agoFirst of all, policymaking is downstream of elections. Second of all, the influence of lobbyists on how laws are formed is "well known" as a talking point, and nothing else. There aren't any hard empirical studies that draw a causal line. In fact, to really drive home that point, I'll reiterate a sentence I wrote in a previous reply to you, but with a minor addition: Sweden has more billionaires per capita than the US, no wealth tax, and levies broad-based taxes on the middle class. The top marginal tax rate kicks in at 1.5 times the average wage, whereas in the US the top marginal tax rate kicks in at 9.2 times the average wage. Lobbying on policymakers is unregulated (http://www.aalep.eu/lobbying-landscape-sweden http://www.aalep.eu/lobbying-landscape-sweden). And yet, you might probably define Swedish society as "functional and peaceful".