Goliath's Curse is a book by Luke Kemp that takes its name from what Luke calls large societies - Goliaths.  After an exhaustive study of human societies spanning years, Luke believes he has come to recognise patterns in their rise and collapse. 

Inequality and concentrations of power are an outcome of the usual pattern of societal development as they get larger and more materially complex. Eventually, this starts to create tensions in societies as their cultural cohesion and dynamism are hollowed out from within. When an external shock comes, these societies are then vulnerable to collapse. The fact that after these collapses the standard of living of the majority of people improves, shows us who societies based on inequality increasingly come to serve. 

This fits well with the thesis of David Stasavage in "The Decline and Rise of Democracy", that democracy and other concessions from elite classes are often the result of weak states that are required to appeal to their citizens. 

Luke's vast range of thinking on this topic can't be captured in a single hour long discussion, so read the book or find some more podcasts where he discusses his book.