Oligarchy
by Jeffrey A. Winters · first published 2011
3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2018–2020first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
"The common thread for oligarchs across history is that wealth defines them, empowers them, and inherently exposes them to threats. The existential motive of all oligarchs is wealth defense. These variations yield four types of oligarchy: warring, ruling, sultanistic, and civil"-- "For centuries, oligarchs were viewed as empowered by wealth, an idea muddled by elite theory early in the twentieth century. The common thread for oligarchs across history is that wealth defines them, empowers them, and inherently exposes them to threats. The existential motive of all oligarchs is wealth defense. H
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This is a useful academic introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Oligarchy-Jeffrey-Winters/dp/05211829...
on “Tim Draper defends Theranos and its disgraced founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes” ↗I highly recommend Jeffrey Winters' book "Oligarchy" to understand tax policy. Though an academic book Oligarchy is very easy to read and surprisingly neutral politically. Winters basically says that oligarchy is when a particular economic group has asymmetric…
on “An AI can simulate an economy millions of times to create fairer tax policy” ↗> In his book Oligarchy, the political scientist Jeffrey A. Winters surveys eras in human history from the classical period to the 20th century, and documents what becomes of societies that concentrate income and wealth in a…
on “Life Became an Endless, Terrible Competition” ↗