Reveals how corporate greed led to scandal, corruption, and the January 6th insurrection-and how we can stop it from happening again
Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud and the violence of the Capitol riot have made it unavoidably clear that the future of American democracy is in peril. Unseen political actors and untraceable dark money influence our elections, while anti-democratic rhetoric threatens a tilt towards authoritarianism.
In Corporatocracy, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy reveals the role corporations play in this dire state of political affairs, and explains why and how they should be held accountable by the courts, their shareholders, and citizens themselves. Drawing on key Supreme Court cases, Torres-Spelliscy explores how corporations have, more often than not, been on the wrong side of history by working to undermine democratic norms, practices, and laws. From bankrolling regressive politicians to funding ghost candidates with dark money, she shows us how corporations subvert the will of the American people, and how courts struggle to hold them and corrupt politicians accountable.
Corporations have existed far longer than democracies have. If voters, consumers, and investors are not careful, corporations may well outlive democracy. Corporatocracy brings all of these shadowy tactics to light and offers meaningful legal reforms that can strengthen and protect American democracy.
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"Ciara Torres-Spelliscy's compelling and clearly written critique makes visible the interwoven strands of corporate governance failure and political governance risk. This book should be read by anyone interested in whether Americans will be able to keep its experiment in democratic republicanism going, or whether it will slide into oligarchy or worse - which is to say, by everyone." - John Coates, Deputy Dean and John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics, Harvard Law School "In Corporatocracy, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy pulls back the curtain on the past and present role of corporate money in politics. From dusty ancient ledgers to crypto currencies, she reveals how money undermines American democracy. She illuminates the underappreciated role of corporate money on January 6th, and how it continued to flow to election-denying politicians after the insurrection. By following the money, this book illustrates why every American should work to bolster democracy through their votes and spending choices." - Spencer Overton, author of Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression "In this compelling new book, election law expert Ciara Torres-Spelliscy details how corporations that use their wealth and power to undermine democratic institutions at home and abroad can and must be held accountable." (Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime) "If the enduring lesson of Watergate was 'follow the money,' Ciara Torres-Spelliscy's Corporatocracy goes even further. This is an in-depth, riveting dive into whose money is warping democracy and what they get in return. She relentlessly tracks the funds shelled out by southern states engaged in convict leasing; the Nazi collaborators who profited off concentration camps; the political grifters who brought us the Teapot Dome Scandal; the backers of the January 6 insurrection; the rock stars and rappers flinging dark money into election campaigns and the corporations that purport to be pro-democracy while they quietly finance voter suppression. Big money has been used to throttle big democracy since the founding. This book is an invaluable tool to understanding how profoundly dangerous dark money has become, and what we can do to stop it." (Dahlia Lithwick, Slate) "Torres-Spelliscy's takedown is biting-she dubs Trump 'a cotton-candy-haired Mussolini'-and concludes with a sensible proposal for public funding of election campaigns... It's a persuasive wake-up call." (Publishers Weekly)
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978-1-4798-2837-1 (9781479828371)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy is Professor of Law at Stetson University and a Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. She is the author of Corporate Citizen?: An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State and Political Brands. Torres-Spelliscy also serves on the board of directors of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
