num_pages: 269
description: Meet the the 1645 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 Trumpas 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  How billionaires can block appointments and legislation they dont 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
language: English
title: Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust
publisher: Brookings Institution Press