

They found it is much more common for the preferences of the affluent to pass into laws when compared to those of the middle class. To recognize this, Gilens and Page analyzed 1,779 cases collected over twenty years, comparing the type of policies that the Congress passed directly to the type of policies that the public and the wealthy as separate categories preferred. Page, citizens with sizable economic resources dominate US policy-making the middle class holds minuscule amounts of influence in comparison. This can include lobbyists, PACs, organizations, or individual benefactors.Īccording to a 2014 study, conducted by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. For this article, anyone that is involved in continuous influence over policy areas is considered part of the governing elite. It’s common that most individuals, other than politicians, are overlooked by common readers as having a major influence in politics. Is the economic-elite in control?įirst, we should explain who fits into the alleged controlling elites category.
#Oligarchic plutocracy free#
Democracies focus on protecting the rights of individual citizens and allow them to take part in fair and free elections. A democracy is a community where the power is in the hands of the common citizen, either directly or through elected officials 1 Democracy: Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Together these systems create a plutocratic oligarchy, or a system of government that is ruled by a small, economically wealthy group of people. An oligarchy is a system that is not necessarily composed of the wealthiest individuals in society. In this system, the rich influence the legislative process to suit their interests.Ĭambridge Dictionary states that an oligarchy is a system of government where the power is held by “a small group of powerful people.” Similar to plutocracy, the select-few that hold power in an oligarchy also form policies that will benefit themselves, leading to exclusion of other classes. To begin this article, it is first important to understand what a plutocratic oligarchy is and its basic differences from a democracy.Ī plutocracy is a main governing body composed of a nation’s richest people, according to Cambridge Dictionary. Learning what a Plutocratic Oligarchy is, and how it differs from a democracy


You are ready to take some action? Skip to the actions section. It is important to ensure that the government works in the best interests of its people (the general public).
