The Anti-Dystopians Public, Private and DOGE - Hybrid Sovereignty with Swati Srivastava
Feb 24, 2025
Swati Srivastava, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Purdue University and a Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center, dives into the complexities of hybrid sovereignty and corporate power. She discusses the messy interplay between public and private forces, illustrating how tech giants influence governance. Swati also highlights the dangers of AI decision-making and the evolving concept of digital sovereignty. Her insights on Elon Musk's role raise crucial questions about accountability in a world where private interests shape public policy.
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Hybrid Sovereignty
- Sovereign power is broader than state power, encompassing competencies like security, taxes, and welfare.
- Hybrid sovereignty recognizes public-private mixtures in executing these functions, creating accountability challenges.
Tech’s Unique Logic
- Historical parallels exist between current tech companies and entities like the British East India Company, like data extraction and tacit state support.
- However, the current moment has a unique logic of algorithmic governance driven by technology.
Public Funding, Private Gains
- Tech companies often rely on public funding, like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla.
- They aim to privatize state functions, potentially to avoid democratic accountability.