Standing On The Top

“That funk is here to stay, oh (We understand it)”

The Power Of Politics

Clearly, the richest would not be drawn to politics if politics did not offer them additional power above and beyond that which they had already acquired through financial or other professional success. Winning (or seizing) political office, or having the ability to influence political decisions, or having a base of political support directly empowers individuals. The source of the power is multifold. It is the power of the institutions that one has leadership within. It is the power of allocating the resources and setting the agenda for those institutions. It is the power to influence the creation of new laws and regulations, which offer the ability actually to institutionalize key ideas. It is the power of the history and national identity associated with those institutions. It is the power that comes from having quantifiable support among the people of a country or region. Government service is seen as legitimizing, as service to the community, with high posts also seen as the capstone of a career (although they often provide additional access and networks that can offer further opportunities for profit post-government). This leads directly to many top business leaders taking massive pay cuts to work in government.

The complication in the era of the superclass is that political institutions, for the most part, are linked to nation-states, Those seeking to win or use political power on a transnational basis must choose between working with comparatively weak international institutions and contending with a vast array of uncoordinated, often competitive or conflict—divided national political systems. One of the considerable strengths of the superclass is its ability to build political potency on a cross-border basis, and to do so with both those internationalized elites that also operate within the global economy, and national elites that are important within individual countries. In the absence of global political[85]institutions, the best path to influencing global outcomes is building networks of individuals and organizations that have influence in key countries. This is the special strength of the superclass given its positions, resources, and global orientation, and it is part of the reason that gatherings of these elites are so important—they become hubs at which ideas can be advanced globally. Thus unable to lobby or serve in a global government, the superclass effectively employs a global political strategy the only way possible, via influencing the influencers[sic].
pp. 85-86

David Rothkopf, Superclass - 2008