West Darrell M. Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust

Brookings Institution Press, 2014 — 250 p. — ISBN: 9780815725824.Meet the Billionaires: the 1,645 men and women who control a massive share of global assets worth $6.5 trillion. Darrell West reveals what the other 99.99998% of us need to know. With rich anecdotes and personal narratives, West goes inside the world of the ultra wealthy. Meet U.S. billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg, David and Charles Koch, George Soros, Tom Steyer, and Donald Trump — as well as international billionaires from around the globe. The growing political engagement of this small supra-wealthy group raises important questions about influence, transparency, and government performance, and West lays bare the wealthification of politics, including: • How billionaires can block appointments and legislation they don’t like • Why the supra-wealthy moved into policy advocacy and referenda at the state level • Why billionaires run for office in more than a dozen countries around the world.The Controversy over Billionaires
Billionaire Activism
Can Rich Dudes Buy an Election?
Referendum Campaigns and Policy Advocacy
New Models of Philanthropy
Elections Abroad
It takes a village to Make a Fortune
The Global 1,645
Innovative Ideas
Not a One-Person Act
What can Be Done?
Better Transparency, Governance, and Opportunity
Hope for the FutureAppendix
Notes