The Blind Spot

A gripping new account of oligarchy from 'the most astute social scientist studying the phenomenon today' (Guardian) The wealthy and powerful few have dominated the masses throughout most of human history. This is starkly visible now more than ever - today, the gulf between oligarchs and the average citizen is vastly larger than any gap that existed during European serfdom or the slave society of Imperial Rome. The strange thing is: for the first time in history, this domination is accomplished through democracy. Yet we aren't in open revolt against the system. In fact, we keep voting to prop it up. Why? In The Blind Spot, political scientist Jeffrey A. Winters delivers an urgent, incisive account of how we reached this era of in-your-face oligarchy, exposing how modern democracy was designed to protect the interests of the ultra-rich. Tracing the evolution of oligarchy through the democratic era, he demonstrates how the power of the wealthy isn't just a flaw in our democracy, it was built into its very foundations. Now, in an extraordinary paradox, we exist in a state of 'participatory inequality': a world in which 99.99% of us participate openly and freely - democratically, even - in our own ongoing economic exclusion. But powerful change can begin when we have a clear understanding of where we are and where we deserve to be. As well as shining a light on just how bad our political reality has become, The Blind Spot introduces bold ideas for how we might shift the balance. Even though oligarchs may not cede power willingly, this period of shocking inequality is, Winters shows, an opportunity for genuine, enduring change.

Jeffrey Winters is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and the Director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies Program at Northwestern's Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Over the past three decades, Winters has gained an international reputation for his pathbreaking work on oligarchs and elites. His influential 2011 book Oligarchy reintroduced the term to modern audiences and was awarded the prestigious 2012 Luebbert Prize.