"The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies" w/ Buffett Institute

From ancient empires to modern nation-states, extreme concentrations of wealth have shaped political power—but never quite like this. Today, the influence of oligarchs is exercised not in opposition to democracy, but through it. Even as inequality reaches historic extremes, democratic systems continue to function, and public revolt remains muted. Why do societies repeatedly vote to sustain arrangements that entrench their own exclusion?

Join us for a Buffett Book Talk with Jeffrey A. Winters, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Roberta Buffett Institute’s Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program, and author of The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies. In conversation with Edward L. Gibson, Kenneth Burgess Professor of Political Science, Winters will trace the evolution of oligarchy in the democratic era, arguing that the outsized power of the ultra-wealthy is not a breakdown of democracy but a feature embedded in its design. They will examine Winters’ concept of participatory inequality—a paradoxical condition in which nearly everyone participates freely in democratic processes, yet only a tiny fraction exercises meaningful economic and political power—and offer ideas for how societies might rebalance power and pursue more equitable futures.

Lunch will begin at 12:15 p.m.

This event is hosted by the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. We from the Geopolitical Forum can find each other and hang out after the event wraps up.

Please register for free at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buffett-book-talk-the-blind-spot-with-jeffrey-winters-tickets-1987425952524?aff=PlanitPurple. Act sooner rather than later, while there are still seats left.

Please also RSVP here to help us find one another at the event.