COMPAS Colloquium: Money, Democracy and Institutional Capture

How do economic inequalities affect public policy and the performance of American democracy? How does wealth shape the acquisition and use of political power? Is America an oligarchy—and, if so, what dangers does that pose? What are the opportunities for democratic reform?

To cast new light on these questions, Professor Samuel Bagg (Political Science, University of South Carolina) will discuss arguments from his new book The Dispersion of Power: A Critical Realist Theory of Democracy (Oxford University Press). The Dispersion of Power argues that the American state is thoroughly captured by oligarchic elites and that standard tools for addressing this problem are too easily co-opted by those same elites. Instead, rescuing democracy requires institutional design aimed specifically at making oligarchic capture more difficult; it also requires the development of organized countervailing power capable of contesting oligarchic capture.

Professors Naomi Scheinerman (Bioethics, Ohio State) and Vladimir Kogan (Political Science, Ohio State) will offer commentary and participate in a moderated discussion about the value of democracy and how best to safeguard it.

This colloquium is part of CEHV's 2023-24 COMPAS Directions series.