Gumperz defined politics as producing consent to a system’s measures

Evidence

If political science means science of the State, and the State is the entire complex of practical and theoretical activities with which the ruling class not only justifies and maintains its dominance, but manages to win the active consent of those over whom it rules, then it is obvious that all the essential questions of sociology are nothing other than the questions of political science. If there is a residue, this can only be made up of false problems, i.e. frivolous problems. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 915 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Thus the full power of austerity emerges: it is functional to its own design. Austerity foments popular consensus for fascist-leaning governments that perpetuate further austerity policies. In a move reminiscent of Mussolini’s policies a century ago—when he spearheaded one of the earliest large-scale privatization efforts in capitalist history—the Milei government, in just ten months, successfully privatized key sectors, including energy, water, sewage management, and railways. The Argentine state opened profitable pockets for private investors but condemned its people to higher utility bills, lower-quality service, and lower accountability. To look closer to home: In Pennsylvania, privatized water companies charged 84 percent more than public ones. In New Jersey, people on private systems pay 79 percent more. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 235 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Parliamentary rule institutionalized permanent voluntary consent from the urban class; The State is defined by ruling-class activity that secures the consent of the ruled — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 915; Austerity self-perpetuates by generating consent for privatizing governments — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 235 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• The State is defined by ruling-class activity that secures the consent of the ruled #corroborates (0.90) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 915
• Parliamentary rule institutionalized permanent voluntary consent from the urban class #expands (0.85)
• Austerity self-perpetuates by generating consent for privatizing governments #exemplifies (0.85) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 235
• The state is an equilibrium of coercion and consent run through civil society #expands (0.80) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1869