Paul Collier: The Future of Capitalism

World-renowned economist Paul Collier presents his new book, 'The Future of Capitalism', a candid diagnosis of the failures of capitalism and a pragmatic and realistic vision for how we can repair it. 

The discussion will be moderated by Dr Emily Jones, Associate Professor in Public Policy and Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme.

About the book

Deep new rifts are tearing apart the fabric of Britain and other Western societies: thriving cities versus the provinces, the highly skilled elite versus the less educated, wealthy versus developing countries. As these divides deepen, we have lost the sense of ethical obligation to others that was crucial to the rise of post-war social democracy. So far these rifts have been answered only by the revivalist ideologies of populism and socialism, leading to the seismic upheavals of Trump, Brexit and the return of the far-right in Germany. We have heard many critiques of capitalism but no one has laid out a realistic way to fix it, until now.

In a passionate and polemical book, celebrated economist Paul Collier outlines brilliantly original and ethical ways of healing these rifts - economic, social and cultural - with the cool head of pragmatism, rather than the fervour of ideological revivalism. He reveals how he has personally lived across these three divides, moving from working-class Sheffield to hyper-competitive Oxford, and working between Britain and Africa, and acknowledges some of the failings of his profession.

Drawing on his own solutions as well as ideas from some of the world's most distinguished social scientists, he shows us how to save capitalism from itself - and free ourselves from the intellectual baggage of the 20th century.

About the author

Sir Paul Collier is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. He is the author of 'The Bottom Billion', which won the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Arthur Ross Prize awarded by the Council on Foreign Relations, 'The Plundered Planet', 'Exodus' and 'Refuge' (with Alexander Betts). Collier has served as Director of the Research Department of the World Bank, and consults with the German government and many other governments around the world.

Blavatnik School of Government,
University of Oxford
http://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/