Underlying that disappointment is a central corruption in our electoral system, says legal activist Lawrence Lessig: the fact that Congressional candidates depend on funding from a tiny percentage of citizens, who in turn control what the rest of us get to vote on. Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim That’s the argument at the core of his blistering talk from TED2013. In his new TED Book, Lesterland, Lessig takes a deeper look at the problem and describes a powerful method for fixing this broken system.

In the great literary tradition of metaphors, Lessig has created Lesterland, a large country run by a small group of people named Lester. In the book, he uses Lesterland to describe what happens when the wealthy control the powerful. While political corruption is not new, Lessig believes we now have both the technology and the social media tools needed to expose and strike at the root of this corruption. To hear more about his ideas, and how he arrived at this metaphor, we caught up with Lessig and asked him a few questions.

Your book paints a pretty grim view that our political system is undermined by money and corruption. How did we allow this to happen? 

We allowed it to happen simply because we’re busy with our lives: We’ve got jobs, or kids, or hobbies — maybe all together! We expect the Congress to do their job. Most of us don’t have the patience to try to keep up.

Why has this system of corruption taken hold so firmly?

Because it pays so well. K Street — where most lobbyist offices are in Washington, D.C. — has become one of the most profitable businesses in America. And they have convinced other businesses across America that they need K Street. So the cycle feeds itself: businesses pay lobbyists; lobbyists channel money to politicians; politicians reward the businesses.

What gives you hope that we can change this cycle?

The only hope is that most Americans get this and — if pushed — will create the political force to change it. What we need to do now is to push them.

How do we do that? What can the average person do?

The first step is to get involved. I started an organization called Rootstrikers — inspired by Thoreau’s quote: “there are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one striking at the root” — which recruits citizen teachers: people who recognize the corrupting influence of money and who are willing to help spread this message. At Rootstrikers you can be assigned tasks to help do that essential work. If we’re successful, then we will create the political conditions necessary to make reform possible.

Any other specific ideas you have for how we can turn things around?

The problem isn’t simple, but the first step is a no-brainer: We have to change the way elections are funded. If we change that, we make every other change possible. If I were King for a Day, at a minimum, I’d enact John Sarbanes’ Grassroots Democracy Act. More ambitiously, I’d enact the American Anti-Corruption Act put forwarded by the Represent.us organization.

What are the consequences of the corrupt and money-driven system we live with?

It’s very simple — a government that doesn’t work, or if it does, not for us. None of the most important issues facing us today can be addressed sensibly given the senselessness of this system: climate change, health care, financial reform, food safety, a tax system, the debt, inequality. You name it, and I’ll tie it to the money.

The folks who are pulling the strings — the Lesters — have a lot to lose if your ideas are implemented. Do you expect to see an active quashing of your ideas?

The closer we get, the more they will squeal. We need to have in place the political force that can overcome that squeal.

Lesterland is available for Kindle and Nook, as well as through the iBookstore. Or download the TED Books app for your iPad or iPhone.

Read an excerpt »

Photos: James Duncan Davidson

Anas Aremeyaw Anas can’t show you his face, but his name carries enough weight. Famous in Ghana for his investigative journalism, Anas’ stories like “Enemies of the nation,” about corruption at customs in the Port of Tema, have blown the cover on crime all over Africa.

He started 14 years ago, when he had just come out of college. He received a tip that police were taking bribes from kids in the streets, so he decided to go undercover selling peanuts. Thus began his dedication to exposing corruption through immersive journalism, following 3 basic principles: naming, shaming and jailing.

Anas has gone undercover as a Catholic priest in a Bangkok prison and as a bartender in a Chinese sex mafia ring in Ghana. Thanks to Anas the mafia men in the latter story will be in prison for the next 40 years for the abuse of the sex workers.

Just last month Anas broke a story with the film Spirit Child, about the tragic practice in northern Ghana of killing deformed children believed to carry ill omens. Anas brought a prosthetic baby from London with a fake deformity and caught men in the act of preparing a concoction to have the baby killed. The police were standing by, and court proceedings are happening now. In “Spell of the albino” Anas follows the albino limb trade in Tanzania, where albinos are regularly killed because their body parts are believed to be lucky in witchcraft rituals. He went undercover as a businessman looking to get rich and caught the practice on film for the first time.

And today at TED, Anas breaks his latest story. He’s been undercover for the past six months at Nsawam Prison in southern Ghana, where conditions are inhumane. He shows a shocking video of a room in the prison full of dead bodies piled atop one another. The sanitation conditions in the prison are unspeakably bad, and it’s easier to get heroin, cocaine and cannabis in the prison than out. He will be breaking the story in Ghana in a month.

Not everyone has been a fan of Anas’ work. Some accuse him of a breach in ethics. But as he says, what’s the point of a journalist who doesn’t benefit society? He concludes: “What the evil man has destroyed, the good man has built.” So fight, and build again.

Afra Raymond: Three myths about corruption

“In an unprecedented fit of generosity — and I use that word carefully — the government of the day made a written commitment to repay all of the creditors,” says Afra Raymond in today’s talk. “It’s not just like Wall Street. Trinidad and Tobago is a place with different laws of physics.”

In today’s talk, given at TEDxPortofSpain — which happened to be held inside Trinidad and Tobago’s Central Bank — Raymond calls for greater transparency and accountability in his government’s financial dealings. In the talk, he takes a look at several recent examples of government corruption — as well as one that has haunted him for 30 years. While Trinidad and Tobago became wealthy in the 1970s as the value of oil increased, the government quickly ran out of funds. In 1982, the Prime Minister revealed that only 1 out of every 3 dollars that had been earmarked for development had been used to produce goods and services. Sadly, 2 out of every 3 dollars had been wasted or stolen.

To hear more about these cases of corruption — and the three myths of corruption that Raymond wants to break — watch this brave talk. And here, more talks on government corruption in countries like England, Kenya, Germany and India, that show that this is a problem without borders.

Peter Eigen: How to expose the corrupt Peter Eigen: How to expose the corrupt Pervasive government corruption is at the root of many of the world’s most challenging social problems. In this talk from TEDxBerlin, Peter Eigen shares what his organization, Transparency International, is doing to counter it.

Heather Brooke: My battle to expose government corruption Heather Brooke: My battle to expose government corruption Tenaciously following through on Freedom of Information Act requests about members of Parliament and their expenses, journalist Heather Brooke uncovered a scandal that led to six ministers tendering their resignation. At TEDGlobal 2012, she shares the importance of checking in on our leaders.

Shaffi Mather: A new way to fight corruption Shaffi Mather: A new way to fight corruption Shaffi Mather started 1298 for Ambulance, a life-saving service that brought ambulance transportation to parts of India. At TEDIndia 2009, he shares a bold idea for a company to fight corruption in public service.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Want to help Africa? Do business here Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Want to help Africa? Do business here Most people know about — and maybe even expect — corruption in Africa. But at TED2008, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala shares the lesser-told story of reform in many African nations.

Sanjay Pradhan: How open data is changing international aid Sanjay Pradhan: How open data is changing international aid Sanjay Pradhan of the World Bank Institute got a taste of corruption at just 6 years old, when a contractor, hoping to get government work from his father, delivered a cart of sweets to their doorstep. At TEDGlobal 2012, he shares how the experience shaped his approach to international aid.

George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos George Ayittey: “Cheetahs” vs. “hippos” in African politics Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes a torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders across Africa — and calls on the “Cheetah generation” to take back the continent.

David Bismark: E-voting without fraud David Bismark: E-voting without fraud David Bismark demos a new system for voting that contains a simple, verifiable way to prevent fraud and miscounting — while keeping each person’s vote secret.

Let’s find the strength to change our slums: Boniface Mwangi at TEDxKibera
While working as a photographer for a Kenyan news service, Boniface Mwangi bore witness to some of the most horrible atrocities in the country’s recent history. Overcoming self-doubt and thoughts of suicide, Mwangi decided to use photography to inspire change within Kenya’s toxic political structure. (Filmed at TEDxKibera)

Born into a prison camp: Blaine Harden at TEDxRanier
Shin Dong-Hyuk, raised by guards to be an informant in a North Korean prison camp, escaped and found freedom in the outside world, but soon realized living with freedom wasn’t easy. At TEDxRainier, Blaine Harden shares Shin’s story to explain the effect of totalitarian governments on their citizens’ mental health, and to raise awareness that — someday — integrating millions of North Koreans into free society might not be as easy as we think. (Filmed at TEDxRainier)

The first school for Maasai girls: Kakenya Ntaiya at TEDxMidAtlantic
Growing up in the Maasai culture, Kakenya Ntaiya faced genital mutilation and forced marriage; her education might have ended at age 13. Against the odds, Ntaiya convinced the men of her village to allow her to attend college, and in this talk at TEDxMidAtlantic, she explains how she returned to her village to start its very first all-girls school. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic)

The three sides of corruption: Afra Raymond at TEDxPortofSpain
From pork-laden congressional bills to revolving-door lobbying jobs, corruption is an all-too-familiar aspect of political behavior. Afra Raymond insists on eliminating it. In this passionate talk from TEDxPortofSpain, he lays bare the rampant corruption in his nation of Trinidad and Tobago, and shares important lessons for every concerned global citizen. (Filmed at TEDxPortofSpain)

And here, some of the week’s highlights from the TEDx blog this week:

• TEDxChicuque, the first TEDx event in Mozambique, shines a light on Mozambiquan stories
• Introducing TEDx ice cream
• Say cheese. Portraits from Benjamin Borley’s photo series “The faces of TEDxExeter”
• TEDx speaker running for president in the Czech Republic
• Pixels rule at TEDxRiodelaPlata