The flip side of constructed poverty: the idea that large-scale, intergenerational wealth is rarely just the fruit of individual genius or hard work, but is built and protected by constructed systems. These include favorable laws (tax codes, inheritance rules), historical advantages (land grants, slavery), and social networks that create exclusive access to opportunity. Wealth is not just accumulated; it is architected within a framework designed to facilitate and preserve its concentration.
Example: "He gave a speech about 'bootstraps,' but his company was built on a state-granted monopoly, his wealth shielded by trust laws his grandfather lobbied for. The Theory of Constructed Wealth shows his fortune wasn't a natural mountain he climbed; it was a valley carefully excavated by policy to funnel riches toward him, which he then called a peak of his own making."
by Abzu Land January 31, 2026
Get the Theory of Constructed Wealth mug.