Economics serving society

(November 8) Debate on Equality: “Reclaiming Populism”

On November 8th, 2021, 6-7:30 pm (CET), the World Inequality Lab will organize a Debate on Equality dedicated to the presentation of “Reclaiming Populism”, by Eric Protzer. The debate, in English, will be held at PSE - Paris School of Economics (Room R2.21) and on Zoom. The event is organized in partnership with Harvard University Growth Lab and Polity books publishing house.


Reclaiming Populism

  • Date: November 8th, 2021 – 6-7:30 pm (CET)
  • Venue: PSE - Paris School of Economics* (Room R2-21) and on Zoom.
  • Registration: To register, please go to this page.

The conference will be live-streamed on Youtube.

* In order to attend the events organised at PSE, and until further notice, we please ask you to bring your Pass sanitaire (paper or digital), which may be requested on site.

Summary of “Reclaiming Populism”

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Populist upheavals like Trump, Brexit, and the Gilets Jaunes happen when the system really is rigged. Citizens the world over are angry not due to income inequality or immigration, but economic unfairness: that opportunity is not equal and reward is not according to contribution.

This forensic book draws on original research, cited by the UN and IMF, to demonstrate that illiberal populism strikes hardest when success is influenced by family origins rather than talent and effort. Protzer and Summerville propose a framework of policy inputs that instead support high social mobility, and apply it to diagnose the differing reasons behind economic unfairness in the US, UK, Italy, and France. By striving for a fair, socially-mobile economy, they argue, it is possible to craft a politics that reclaims the reasonable grievances behind populism.

About Eric Protzer and Paul Summerville

  • Eric Protzer is a Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Growth Lab.
  • Paul Summerville is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business.