this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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We know this. Reagan knew this when he opened the door for lobbyists.
According to Marx ( Das Kapital ) corruption of the government towards the interest of the owning class is inevitable.
We still don't know an effective way to keep government public serving. Marx recommends the end of hierarchy, but that model needs some development.
But yes, government is intended to serve the public and when it doesn't (such as with regulatory capture) that is government failure. US federal and state governments typically fail, only rarely enacting policy consistent with public interest.
I think if you read beyond Marx there are several ideas that are valid alternatives.
Not that I am a well informed political scientist (so speculating robust political systems is well beyond my pay grade), but I am certainly open to ideas.
Here in the States we haven't been able to engage in some basic improvements, like disposing of the Electoral College, which was a white-power motivated backdoor from the beginning. So finding the path from regulatory-captured late stage capitalism is going to be a challenge.