Much attention has been paid to the negative effects of government outsiders - such as special interest groups - influencing government agencies and officials. In this book, Mark A. Zupan addresses the equally important phenomenon of government insiders influencing the machinery of the state and putting their interests above the public interest.

National decline is typically blamed on special interests from the demand side of politics corrupting a country's institutions. The usual demand-side suspects include crony capitalists, consumer activists, economic elites, and labor unions. Less attention is given to government insiders on the supply side of politics - rulers, elected officials, bureaucrats, and public employees. In autocracies and democracies, government insiders have the motive, means, and opportunity to co-opt political power for their benefit and at the expense of national well-being. Many storied empires have succumbed to such inside jobs. Today, they imperil countries as different as China and the United States. Democracy - government by the people - does not ensure government for the people. Understanding how government insiders use their power to subvert the public interest - and how these negative consequences can be mitigated - is the topic of this book by Mark A. Zupan.

Advance praise: 'Zupan succeeds brilliantly in producing a self-contained book that lays out a coherent framework to address the critical issues related to the role of government insiders in the success or demise of political systems. This is an impressive book which tackles a number of important substantive topics about the relative desirability of alternative political institutions.' Antonio Merlo, George E. Peterkin Chair of Economics and Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Rice University, Texas