ERC Starting Grant · 2025
Governing elites since the dawn of modern democracy
Ever since humans settled into communities, there have been political classes. A small elite governs, while the majority are governed. Historically, the governing elite has consisted of people from a narrow segment of society, such as aristocrats. However, the rise of democracy may have opened the path to power and changed the incentives of the leader to select governing elites from a broader segment of society. These elites may, in turn, opt for broad-based policies. Nonetheless, many voters today do not think that democracy has delivered on this promise. They indicate that their governments are captured by wealthy elites who do not care about them. So, does democracy result in more…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.