Unmasking the Elite Charade of "Changing the World"

My guest today, Anand Giridharadas, is the author of the new book Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. The book is a piercing examination of how the global elite have co-opted our mechanisms of social change. This trend manifests itself in many ways, including the belief that market forces are more important than government in affecting change.

The book is an extremely challenging, and at times discomfiting, critique of a trend that I've witnessed and certainly been on the periphery of.  Conferences like the World Economic Forum, Aspen Ideas Fest, or the Clinton Global Initiative, the book argues, exemplifies an approach to social change that ends up entrenching a highly inequitable status quo.    The book has a chapter dedicated to UN Week when heads of state come to New York for the opening of the UN General Assembly, and also attend all manner of side events. And we kick off discussing the significance of many of these events to his overall  thesis.   I must say, this book has definitely struck a nerve. At time of publication it's number 6 on the New York times best seller list-- and I think this conversation will help you understand why we expect this book to be so impactful.