Passage: Public Choice Theory provides a skeptical lens on distributive justice, arguing that the agents of the state—politicians and bureaucrats—are not disinterested seekers of the 'common good' but are self-interested actors like everyone else. From this perspective, redistribution programs are often 'captured' by powerful interest groups who use the machinery of the state to funnel resources to themselves, a process known as 'rent-seeking.' For example, a tax intended to help the poor might be riddled with loopholes that actually benefit large corporations or wealthy donors. Therefore, the more a state attempts to achieve distributive justice through complex intervention, the more opportunities it creates for corruption and inefficiency. Justice, for a public choice theorist, is best achieved by limiting state power and relying on clear, simple rules.