The super-rich have never had it so good. But millions of us can’t afford a home, an education or a pension. And unless we change course soon, the future will be worse. Much worse.
Yet, it doesn’t have to be like this. In his new book The Inequality of Wealth: why it matters and how to fix it, former Treasury Minister, Liam Byrne, explains the fast-accelerating inequality of wealth; warns how it threatens our society, economy, and politics; shows where economics got it wrong – and lays out a path back to common sense, with five practical new ways to rebuild an old ideal: the wealth-owning democracy. Liam Byrne draws on conversations and debates with former prime ministers, presidents and policymakers around the world together with experts at the OECD, World Bank, and IMF to argue that, after twenty years of statistics and slogans, it’s time for solutions that aren’t just radical but plausible and achievable as well.
Meet our speakers and chair
Liam Byrne (@liambyrnemp) is the Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council, elected Chair of the Global Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF and Chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee. He is a former Gwilym Gibbon Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham and author of over twenty publications on economics, foreign policy and public service reform.
Mike Savage (@MikeSav47032563) is Martin White Professor of Sociology at LSE. Between 2015 and 2020 he was Director of LSE’s International Inequalities Institute, which hosts the Atlantic Fellow’s Programme, the largest global program in the world devoted to challenging inequalities. Mike is the author of eight books, including most recently The Return of Inequality: social change and the weight of the past.
Katie Schmuecker (@KatieSchmuecker) leads the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s work on destitution and deep poverty. She is also a member of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission, which scrutinises the Scottish Government’s progress on reducing poverty. She is a regular commentator in the media through blogs, articles and broadcast appearances.
Kirsten Sehnbruch (@KirstenSehn) is a British Academy Global Professor, a Distinguished Policy Fellow and Acting Director at the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at the Universidad de Chile, Director of the Institute for Public Policy at the Universidad Diego Portales (Chile), and a Lecturer at the University of California, at Berkeley.
More about this event
This event will be available to watch on LSE Live. LSE Live is the new home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at LSE, wherever you are in the world. If you can’t attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on LSE’s YouTube channel.
The LSE International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) brings together experts from many of the School’s departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.
Explore LSE’s dedicated hub Understanding the UK Economy, showcasing research and expertise on the state of the UK economy, its global context and its future.
This event was originally scheduled to have taken place on Wednesday 18 January.
Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEIII
Podcast & Video
A podcast of this event is available to download from The inequality of wealth: why it matters and how to fix it.
A video of this event is available to watch at The inequality of wealth: why it matters and how to fix it.
Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.
