Justice
Why Real Change Won’t Come From Billionaire Philanthropists
In his new book Winners Take All, Anand Giridharadas argues that plutocrats have co-opted the language of social change while reinforcing their own power.
When wealthy elites embrace issues such as inequality, poverty, climate change, women’s empowerment, and LGBTQ rights, are they spurring change—or reinforcing the status quo? In his new book Winners Take All, the writer Anand Giridharadas says it’s the latter. Giridharadas persuasively argues that when they adopt pressing social and economic issues as causes, plutocrats simply reinforce their position atop the hierarchy.
I spoke with Giridharadas by phone about how members of the global elite came to see themselves (and be seen as) the people who could remedy systemic societal problems, and where we go from here. Our conversation has been lightly edited.