FREE with Clara Mattei Democracy from Below: How to Defeat Oligarchy | Camila Vergara & Clara Mattei
Aug 27, 2025
Camila Vergara, a political theorist and author, joins economist Clara Mattei to investigate why democracy falters against oligarchy. They discuss systemic corruption and its ties to militarism, revealing how the elite gain from war and influence. The conversation emphasizes grassroots strategies to reclaim power, highlighting innovative local projects like energy co-ops and community councils in Chile. Understand how ordinary people can dismantle corrupt systems and build a democratic future from the ground up.
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Democracy Can Be Built To Serve Elites
- Democracy can be an illusion when constitutions and institutions are designed to reproduce elite power.
- Camila Vergara calls this built-in arrangement 'systemic corruption' that favors oligarchic accumulation.
War Fuels Oligarchic Accumulation
- War and militarism systematically enrich elites and deepen oligarchic control.
- Camila explains that war funnels surplus to elites who then shape laws and subsidies to entrench their power.
Neoliberalism Accelerated Systemic Decay
- Neoliberal reforms accelerated systemic corruption by shrinking the state and cutting taxes for elites.
- Vergara links tax cuts and deregulation to faster oligarchization of power under neoliberalism.
