TY - JOUR

T1 - Democracy, Populism, and Concentrated Interests

AU - Dothan, Shai

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Concentrated interest groups have a significant advantage overdiffuse interest groups: they can effectively stop free riding among theirmembers. Because of this advantage, concentrated interest groups workin unison and manage to capture the government in many democracies.Democratic mechanisms of separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law are designed to prevent the capture of government by concentrated interests. Under certain conditions, these mechanisms make it possible for diffuse interests to have a fair share of theinfluence over the government. Populist ideologists doubt that claim,however. They are convinced that democracies are captured by a smallelite that controls most of the political power. The declared aim of populists is to give political power back to the majority of society. Despitethat declared aim, this Article argues that the actions taken by populistshave exactly the opposite outcome. By downgrading democratic mechanisms that constrain the government, populists end up making it easierfor concentrated interests to capture the government and take advantageof diffuse groups.

AB - Concentrated interest groups have a significant advantage overdiffuse interest groups: they can effectively stop free riding among theirmembers. Because of this advantage, concentrated interest groups workin unison and manage to capture the government in many democracies.Democratic mechanisms of separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law are designed to prevent the capture of government by concentrated interests. Under certain conditions, these mechanisms make it possible for diffuse interests to have a fair share of theinfluence over the government. Populist ideologists doubt that claim,however. They are convinced that democracies are captured by a smallelite that controls most of the political power. The declared aim of populists is to give political power back to the majority of society. Despitethat declared aim, this Article argues that the actions taken by populistshave exactly the opposite outcome. By downgrading democratic mechanisms that constrain the government, populists end up making it easierfor concentrated interests to capture the government and take advantageof diffuse groups.

M3 - Journal article

VL - 56

SP - 459

EP - 498

JO - Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

JF - Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

IS - 2

ER -