In the video below, at the MIT Citizens Rising “Anti-Corruption” Symposium, Martin Gilens explores political inequality in the United States. Discussing the results of his recent study, Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, Gilens presents us with “a deeply disturbing implication: our society is a democracy in name only.” Analyzing approximately 2,000 survey questions regarding a range of federal government policies since the 1980’s, he finds that policy makers respond exclusively to the desires of the rich—with the preferences of ordinary citizens being largely irrelevant.
Note: Feel free to watch the entire video, but the recommended talk by Martin Gilens begins at the 10:30 mark.
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- Martin Gilens on Political Inequality. Authored by: Daniel Miller. Located at: https://youtu.be/SzS068SL-rQ. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube video