(iPoster) A Deliberative Systems Approach to Elite Philanthropy in Public Education

• In Event: Poster Session: Issues in the Political Theory of Economic Equality and Democracy & Political Methodology
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Issues in the Political Theory of Economic Equality and Democracy

Abstract

Several scholars have demonstrated how elite philanthropists exert disproportionate influence over public institutions, particularly in public education. Research has shown how these wealthy donors shape policy through networks, organizations, and leadership programs, resulting in educational policies that reflect their worldview. In many cases, these philanthropic organizations function as mediating structures, obscuring instances where their influence erodes democratic norms by presenting themselves as serving a democratic function. This paper argues that deliberative democratic theory, especially in its predominant deliberative systems approach, offers a critical framework for analyzing elite philanthropy, particularly through its focus on the relationship between institutions and discourse. Drawing on Amanda Hollis-Brusky’s framework, which examines the Federalist Society’s influence on the American judicial system, alongside the literature on significant philanthropy in public education, we can characterize the extensive network of education charities and organizations as a neoliberal epistemic community. This characterization reveals how the wealthy use philanthropy to propagate a neoliberal ideology within public education, subtly steering its practices to benefit these donors. This approach advances prior critiques of elite philanthropy that rely on overly formalistic and procedural democratic theories, which often overlook issues of ideology and discourse. As a result, such critiques miss moments when this influence appears to serve a democratic function by acting as a mediating institution. Ultimately, characterizing elite philanthropy as an epistemic community facilitates the application of a deliberative systems framework, allowing us to view these institutions as pathological defects—a term commonly used in deliberative systems literature.

Author

• Eric Mackey, University of California, Riverside