Politics, economics: elite capture
Self-tutoring about politics: the tutor mentions the idea of elite capture.
The following is according to my understanding.
Years ago I was invited to a presentation about donating to a project meant to benefit people on a different continent.
The first thing one noticed at the presentation was how rich and powerful its promoters were. They were looking to us – many of whom were students – to donate to their cause. They did not, as I recall, say that they themselves were donating to it. Moreover, they seemed to expect, as I recall, over five grand from anyone who agreed to participate. They said that participating would be a good experience, and would help people in need.
One of the presenters had family where the project on the other continent was happening. He was rich; moreover, he openly stated that his sibling, local to the project area, was also rich. He didn’t indicate that his sibling was contributing to the project; instead, he described them as a shrewd businessperson.
All the promoters of the project were not only rich, but also well connected – likely, it seemed, with several governments.
We were told, during the presentation, that there might be government money somewhere to help with the project, but they would have to research that idea. Yet, it was also my understanding that they had been involved with the project for years already.
If the situation I’m describing feels off to you, we have that in common. Sitting in the seat, among a large audience, I suspected my intelligence was being insulted. If anyone should be donating to said project, its promoters should certainly be: they claimed to believe in it very devotedly, and were all rich and well-connected. Why would they come after us poor folk for donations?
It became easy to believe, looking at these rich, privileged presenters, that they were in fact making money, one way or another, from the project. The idea was both very troubling and virtually a certainty, to my mind.
From that presentation, and from other things I’ve noticed since, I’ve come to suspect that donation money ends up in the hands of rich people more often that it should. Now I realize this is a documented concept, with its own name: “elite capture.”
In broad strokes, elite capture refers to the observation that the elite of a society, having access to power, can channel donation funds to their own interests. One can use their imagination from there.
As an old academic, I can be naive sometimes, but I tend to realize things eventually. The thing is, though, once an academic does realize something, implications tend to follow….
Source:
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.