Most people recognize Standford law professor Lawrence Lessig for his passionate work on copyright issues and culture. Recently he’s turned his attention to political corruption and the misuse or abuse of information by government officials and agencies. To bring attention to the poisonous influence of money on political decision-making, Lessig has launched an anti-corruption wiki where contributors are documenting instances of alleged abuse.

My favorite part of the wiki is a collection of quotes that contributors have gathered. Here’s one from Jonathan Rauch:

The problem is not simply that money corrupts politics. The problem is that interests fight much harder for policies that are beneficial to them than the general public will fight for policies that are good for everyone. If an interest gains ten million dollars from a regulation at the expense of ten cents from every tax payer, that interest will fight harder than all the tax payers combined. After all, each taxpayer has no incentive to lead a fight, as they would only gain 10 cents. This applies whether it’s a big media company advocating restrictive copyright laws or NASA arguing for money for projects that do not do anything.

Meanwhile, in this segment on German television, Lessig explains his shift in emphasis. Naturally, he’s as brilliant and articulate as ever.