[ChristianMarks]

Piketty need not wait for the return of patrimonial capitalism for democratic and meritocratic institutions to be undermined by elite economic interests: that ostrich has already taken off, that horse has bolted, that rising tsunami has already smashed all boats.

"Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence."

http://www.princeton.edu/~mgilens/Gilens%20homepage%20materi...