Published in History of European Ideas (Vol. 51, No. 3, 2025)

A bold new approach to combatting the inherent corruption of representative democracy

YouTube video by FREE – Forum for Real Economic Emancipation

Constitutional democracies—liberal representative governments authorized through competitive elections—are supposed to be “good” regimes, aimed at protecting the common welfare—or at least, the welfare of the majority. However, juridico-political structures such as legal codes, regulatory frameworks, and the institutions that uphold them have systematically and disproportionally benefited the powerful few, who today control most of the wealth. In contemporary democracies, systemic corruption manifests through the convergence of political, economic, and legal power among a small elite. Even in jurisdictions celebrated for strong democratic traditions and welfare states such as Europe, wealth inequality remains stark: the richest 10 percent own almost 62 percent of total wealth, while the bottom half controls a mere 2.8 percent.[1] In Latin America, this disparity is even more pronounced, with the top 10 percent controlling almost 70 percent of wealth, and the bottom half holding only 2.3 percent. These inequalities are not simply by-products of market forces but result from oligarchic tendencies that are sustained and reproduced through laws governing property, taxation, corporate governance, campaign finance, and more.

YouTube video by FREE – Forum for Real Economic Emancipation

Join us in Paris for LASA2026 and the 60th Anniversary of the Association

YouTube video by FREE – Forum for Real Economic Emancipation

YouTube video by FREE – Forum for Real Economic Emancipation

A left that ignores the differences within the working class will never build power.

YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

YouTube video by The Institute of Art and Ideas

It is increasingly clear that the real threat lies not with the person crossing a border, working a warehouse shift, or marching in the street—but with the structure that enriches itself by sowing div...

YouTube video by TV UNAM

Chilean political philosopher Camila Vergara boldly argues in her book 'Systemic Corruption' that decay and corruption are inevitable even in liberal, representative systems because oligarchs end up c...