Analysis Of Thomas Christiano's Money And Politics

In his paper, “Money and Politics,” Thomas Christiano discusses the influence of money on contemporary democracies. Christiano first explains the four main axes of influence that he entitles “Money for votes,” “Money as a gatekeeper,” “Money as means for influencing public and legislative opinion,” and “Money as independent political power” (Christiano). To begin, “Money for votes” refers to the exchange of campaign funding for the exceptional protection of corporate interests and the erosion of democratic principles that it inevitably yields. Christiano states that such phenomenon of private firms providing financial support to political campaigns for protection from “interfering public policy and law” causes a "private market” to arise in the private sphere (528). This is problematic …show more content…
It is explained that political support under democracy mechanically resembles a “consumption good” (535). Since money has a declining marginal utility, the affluent are more likely to individually aid campaigns in a significant manner. As a result, their interests are better represented by politicians vying for support and, consequently it creates asymmetrical representation of the private sphere by the public sphere and undermines the egalitarian principle of equal participation. Also, Christiano explains that money acts “as means for influencing public and legislative opinion.” Public opinion is influenced because the education in relevant political subject matters, required for the “cultivation of sophisticated opinion,” and dissemination of such opinions through means, such as the media, requires monetary payments. He explains that, given the cognitive scarcity of ordinary citizens, caused by the structure of modern society, the affluent can greatly manipulate their opinions through the