The Vicious Cycle of Wealth and Political Power — Class 6 ROBERT REICH MAY 12 Friends, This week brings us to one of the core problems of widening inequality — the inevitability that concentrated income and wealth at the top comes with political power. Wealth isn’t a zero-sum game in which the rich get richer only if others become poorer, but political power is zero-sum. This creates a vicious cycle by which the super-rich get changes in laws and rules that define the market, which make them even richer and more powerful. Here’s the class (just double-click the red play button): The questions I’ll be addressing this week: How does economic power translate into political power? How does political power generate more economic power? How much of the phenomenon of widening inequality is due to this vicious cycle? Also: What’s the difference between “pre-distribution” and “redistribution” of income and wealth? In what ways are income and wealth now pre-distributed upward? Recommended readings (click on the link): Jane Mayer, “The Big Money Behind the Big Lie,” The New Yorker, August 2, 2021 Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens,” Perspectives on Politics, American Political Science Association, September 2014 Asher Schechter, “Why Argue With the Government When You Can Buy the Government?”: Q&A with Gary Reback, July 2016 Steven M. Teles, “The Scourge of Upward Redistribution,” National Affairs, Fall 2015 *** If you’ve missed any of these classes, no worries. Here are the links for all that I’ve already posted: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, and Class 5. There will be 14 in all.