The answer is not absolute, but depends on context, place, and time. However, the relationship can be broken down from both sides:
1. Money influences politics (strongly)
How?
- Campaign financing: Those who have money can support candidates and shape public opinion through media and advertisements.
- Lobbies: Large companies pay consultants and "lobbyists" to influence political decisions in their favor.
- Buying influence: In some countries, money is used to buy loyalties or impose certain agendas in public policies.
Examples:
- In the United States, the arms lobby and pharmaceutical companies have enormous influence due to the size of their funding.
- In some Arab countries, money determines who approaches power or is excluded from it.
2. Politics affects money (deeply)
How?
- Government policies regulate markets: through taxes, interests, legislation, and more.
- Political stability attracts or repels investments.
- Wars or sanctions (which are political decisions) can destroy entire economies.
Examples:
- A political decision to impose sanctions on Russia affected global oil and gas.
- Revolutions and political unrest lead to capital flight from unstable countries.
So, who is stronger?
- In democratic systems: money often has a stronger influence on politics (through campaigns and lobbies).
- In authoritarian regimes: politics dominates money, deciding who gets rich and who is excluded.
- In major crises: politics controls money (for instance during wars or economic emergencies).
✍️ "Money tempts politicians to make decisions, and politics reshapes money through decisions."
They are two interdependent forces, but in pivotal moments, politics strikes money or saves it.