A summary of Death of the Duopoly - Essay Example

Summary of “Death of the Duopoly” Nick Gillepsie and Matt Welch divulge into the concept that the duopoly of the Republican and Democratic parties are gradually meeting their end as people revolt more openly and find new means to work the government to their benefit. Despite the vast differences between the two parties, they have both created policies and governance structures that benefit their groups, disregarding public opinion and using our money the entire way. This behavior explains the fluctuation of people who identify themselves by either party, with a noticeable increase in voters who no longer affiliate with any party.

Gillepsie and Welch point out that these parties will always be around, but voters also have the ability to make their own stance. Economists recognize the Republican and Democratic parties as being the longest-lived duopoly. However, they have not considered that this duopoly may meet the same end as duopolies before them, which is that a collusion of interests will bring about a revolt of the customers. Gillepsie and Welch use Kodak and Fujifilm as an example. Kodak was a huge, unbeatable name until Fujifilm came along, but the two held their ground as a strong duopoly in a way that economists believed was unbreakable.

Unfortunately, Kodak and Fujifilm began to drop and fell completely with the rise of digital cameras and software. Like other duopolies, Kodak and Fujifilm treated their customers like “captives,” leaving them no choice in what they can buy and what they would pay. With the rise of digital technology and more options for customers, the duopoly fell entirely. The government, while a duopoly, does not face the same changes and downfall as Kodak and Fujifilm since it does not depend on customers to obtain its money.

They can still meet an end, though, as their customers (the taxpayers) find an alternative method by “creating angry and effective coalitions to confront the status quo.” This does not necessarily mean that Republicans and Democrats will just disappear in the immediate or distant future, given their guaranteed revenue stream and their ability to do what they must to survive. However, the voters have a similar ability to create new methods that have made, and are still making, the political duopolists weaker.