roots organizations, and individual voters. It is the tightly woven relationship between big business and government that prevents true democracy. Economic influence is a magic wand used by large corporations to get their wishes granted. According to Ralph Miliband, businesses control the key areas of economic life which makes it extremely difficult for governments to impose upon it policies to which it is firmly opposed. (1969:p59) In other words, corporations dictate policy whether government likes it or not. Business decisions have a yielding effect on the state of the economy. Choosing to disinvest, downsize, relocate, or, decrease production, often has a negative impact on the economy. According to Lindblom, a poor economy will negatively affect voters more than anything else, and therefore, politicians must be quick to respond to it. Politicians must pay special attention to the business community. (p.91) For, if business is governments customer, then is business always right? Miliband suggests, that in abstract, the array of powers and influences utilized by business are combated by the equated powers and influences obtained by government. (p.61) In reality, government has minimal resources for self-protection. Big corporations are the backbone of government. Without corporate donations, politicians would not be able to effectively secure positions in government. The success of a political campaign highly depends upon efficient funding. As politicians except huge contributions to enhance their chances of winning, corporations contribute money to enhance their personal interests. Perhaps corporations should not be regarded with a negative connotation. Rather, the system itself should be blamed for encouraging these corrupted relationships. Lindblom suggests that the relationships between businesses and government are reciprocal. These relationships lend to the idea that government makes certain choices that benefit co...
