Power follows wealth, regardless of whether there's a government or not, and while the economy is not a zero sum game, power is - economic inequality matters.

Power follows wealth, regardless of whether there's a government or not, and while the economy is not a zero sum game, power is - economic inequality matters. The correlation between wealth and power is even stronger in countries where government is weak, and it is thus the function of government to prevent wealth from obtaining unchecked power. It is no wonder that wealth would seek to destroy government. That we appear to be losing this fight does not invalidate its importance. You may have your choice of oligarchs to buy your car from, but what they will never allow you is the choice to compete with them on a level playing field. A cartel can allow internal competition, but they will all cooperate to crush upstarts.