Capture (politics)
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In public choice theory and political science, capture is said to occur when bureaucrats or politicians, who are supposed be acting in the public interest, end up acting systematically to favour particular vested interests. The theory of capture is associated with the Nobel laureate economist George Stigler, one of its main developers.
Public choice theory holds that capture is inevitable, because vested interests have a concentrated financial stake in the outcomes of political decisions, thus ensuring that they will find means—direct or indirect—to capture decision makers.
While this inevitablist application of rational choice theory appears to be excessively pessimistic about government, the fact remains that capture is a commonly observable phenomenon.
See also
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