Curbing Corruption

The recent midterm elections cost $3.6 billion thanks to dark money groups and some key decisions by the Supreme Court to redefine “citizen” and “corruption.” This daunting figure leaves little doubt that money has become an overpowering influence in our democracy. Protestors across the political spectrum – from the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street – are united in their outrage over a system of influence that overlooks the lives and liberties of regular citizens.

In new books, Zephyr Teachout and Janine Wedel address the unique surge in corruption and unaccountability in politics and society more broadly. But in a world where the power of big money feels insurmountable, what can we do about it? How can we begin to break down the private interests that have now infiltrated every level of society?

Join New America NYC for a conversation on the widespread impact of corruption in politics and how we can move toward a more accountable future.

Copies of Zephyr Teachout's Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United and Janine Wedel's Unaccountable: How Elite Power Brokers Corrupt our Finances, Freedom, and Security will be available for purchase.

Participants:

Zephyr Teachout
Professor, Fordham University School of Law
Author: Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United
@ZephyrTeachout

Janine Wedel
University Professor in Policy, Government, & International Affairs, George Mason University
Author, Unaccountable: How Elite Power Brokers Corrupt our Finances, Freedom, and Security
@janinewedel

Lawrence Lessig
Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School
Director, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
@lessig