Inequality destroys governments

I wrote about a remarkable study that establishes a causal link between inequality and political polarization in state legislatures. While nobody has demonstrated a causal link for U.S. Congress, there is an established correlation between the two phenomena historically (polarization and inequality have both been increasing since the 70s; last time polarization was this bad was in the early 20th century — when there was extraordinary inequality). At least on the state level we have stronger grounds now to say that an economy designed to serve the 1% is poisoning some of the very institutions that are essential to reforming it. Read it here