Billionaires bankroll US politics, but voters could demand a fairer system

By João V. Ferreira, Lecturer in Economics, University of Southampton
Foivos Savva, Lecturer in Economics, University of Southampton
Michael Vlassopoulos, Professor in Economics, University of Southampton

Billionaires played an unprecedented role in the 2024 US elections, with 150 of the world’s wealthiest families contributing nearly US$2 billion (£1.57 billion) trying to influence the outcome. This included donations from the likes of Elon Musk (US$133 million for the Republicans) and Michael Bloomberg (US$45 million for the Democrats).

It was a big spend – but from their perspective, a very affordable one. The US$2 billion sum represents just 0.07% of their collective…

Read complete article

~	‘You can’t eat electricity’: how rural solar farms became the latest battlefront in Britain’s culture war

~	Bamako under siege: why Mali’s army is struggling to break the jihadist blockade of the capital

~	Jihadists have blockaded Mali’s capital. What’s at stake

~	Peace in Sudan? 3 reasons why mediation hasn’t worked so far

~	Bugonia: a brilliant abduction thriller with Yorgos Lanthimos’s distinct absurdist stamp

~	A landfill tax could halt the vast amounts of healthy soil that are needlessly thrown away

~	How the Day of the Dead is being used to protest violence against women

~	The psychological toll of hurricanes – major storms leave more than wreckage behind

~	Home vs office working: why it doesn’t have to be a battle

~	Why men need more exercise than women to see the same heart benefits