There's a (vicious?) feedback spiral at work here too. Most of the policies, bills etc., are authored by back office workers who are either themselves academics

There's a (vicious?) feedback spiral at work here too. Most of the policies, bills etc., are authored by back office workers who are either themselves academics or are heavily influenced by them. Same with lobbyists. Academics (primarily economists) are also at work to produce all those white papers, op-ed articles that shape public opinion. Academics pays less compared to industry (tech, finance etc.,) so it's mostly those with elite backgrounds with big inheritance wealth who can afford to spend a long time in academia in return for a chance to keep elite's hold in the government.