Chrystia Freeland: Plutocrats, the Hollowed out Middle Class and Democracy

Chrystia Freeland is the author of "Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else" (2012), and in November 2013 she was elected to the Canadian Parliament. In this Ethics of Wealth event on April 24, 2014, Freeland discussed the status of plutocrats today, arguing that they have never been richer or wielded more economic power.

Freeland's abstract for her talk continues as such: "A hollowed out middle class is driving a new political reality in which plutocrats continue to prosper, but wages for over two-thirds of the workforce have stagnated and people with jobs feel insecure about their economic futures. Their frustration is translating to the ballot box, as voters in ever larger numbers respond to populist economic messages from both the left and right.

"The future facing plutocrats is a simple one: stick to their old political playbook and find themselves out on the political margins or rise to a greater challenge and work with the middle class to help it grow again from the inside out."

See photos from the event here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXD4pNp

-----

The McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society is committed to bringing ethical reflection to bear on important social problems through research, teaching, and engagement. Visit the Center's website for more information: http://ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu

• Category

  • Education

• License

  • Standard YouTube License