Inequality is not inevitable but a choice – the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities.
Inequality is an increasing problem in the Western world, leaving everyone – the rich as well as the poor – worse off.
The dream of a socially mobile society is becoming an ever more unachievable myth.
That’s the view of Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who came to the Intelligence Squared stage for a rare London appearance in May 2015.
Stiglitz argued that inequality is not inevitable but a choice – the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities.
Stiglitz exposed the neoliberal policies, such as deregulation and tax cuts for the rich, which he claims are causing many people to fall further and further behind.
He proposed real solutions: increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy; helping homeowners instead of banks; investing in education, science, and infrastructure; and, most importantly, doing more to restore full employment.
Stiglitz drew on lessons from America – the inequality leader of the developed world – as well as Scandinavia, Singapore, and Japan.
And he argued against what he sees as the tide of unnecessary, destructive austerity that is sweeping across Europe.
While many believe we are faced with a choice between growth and fairness, Stiglitz believes that with the right policies, we can have both.
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz on “The Great Divide” (WATCH VIDEO)
Lecture/Symposia Series
![Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz on \](http://www.21cir.com/wp-content/plugins/a3-lazy-load/assets/images/lazy_placeholder.gif "Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz on \")
Photo by Dan Deitch
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE
48 Wall Street | New York, NY 10005
Tel: 212.908.4110 | Fax: 212.908.4601
Join us for an evening with Nobel Prize-winning economist, bestselling author and Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz on his new book, The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them. Professor Stiglitz will be interviewed by Myron Kandel, Founding Financial Editor of CNN.
A call to restore true democracy and tempered markets, The Great Divide makes an urgent case for Americans to solve inequality now. A singular voice of reason in an era defined by bitter politics and economic uncertainty, Stiglitz has time and again diagnosed America’s greatest economic challenges, from the Great Recession and its feeble recovery to the yawning gap between the rich and the poor.
The Great Divide gathers his most provocative reflections on the subject of inequality, probing for answers to the greatest threat to American prosperity and explaining its role in the country’s ongoing malaise.
As Stiglitz ably argues, a healthy economy and a fairer democracy are within our grasp, if we can put aside misguided interests and abandon failed policies. Opening with the essay that gave the Occupy Movement its slogan, “We are the 99%,” later essays in The Great Divide reveal equality of opportunity as a national myth and explain reforms that would spur higher growth, more opportunity and greater equality.
Talk followed by Q&A, book signing and reception. Admission is free for Museum members and students, or $15 for non-members. Reservations are required.
