About the Author

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Joseph E. Stiglitz is one of the most influential economists of our time. A Nobel laureate in Economics (2001), former Chief Economist of the World Bank, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton, Stiglitz has devoted his career to understanding how markets fail and how institutions shape economic outcomes.

A University Professor at Columbia University, he has authored landmark works including Globalization and Its Discontents, The Price of Inequality, and The Great Divide. His scholarship consistently bridges rigorous economic theory with urgent questions of justice, democracy, and shared prosperity.

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About the Book

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In The Origins of Inequality, & Policies to Contain It, Stiglitz delivers a sweeping yet precise analysis of how inequality is produced—not by nature or necessity, but by political and economic choices.

Drawing on decades of research, he traces the structural forces that have allowed wealth to concentrate at the top while wages stagnate and mobility declines. The book examines tax policy, market design, corporate governance, and the erosion of countervailing institutions, offering both diagnosis and prescription. Stiglitz argues that inequality is not an inevitable byproduct of capitalism; it is a design flaw—and one that can be corrected.

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Why Inequality Matters

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Inequality is not merely an economic issue; it is a threat to the foundations of democratic society.

When wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, political power follows. Policies begin to serve narrow interests rather than the common good.

Social mobility erodes, and citizens lose faith in institutions meant to represent them.Moreover, extreme inequality undermines the efficiency that markets promise. It distorts investment, reduces aggregate demand, and stifles innovation. A society divided by vast disparities cannot sustain the broad-based participation on which healthy capitalism depends.Understanding inequality is therefore not optional—it is essential. It is the first step toward designing systems that are fairer, more resilient, and more humane.

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Why We Selected This Book

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The Global Inequality Institute is proud to name The Origins of Inequality as our Book of the Year 2025.Stiglitz's work exemplifies the kind of scholarship GII seeks to promote: rigorous, interdisciplinary, and resolutely committed to translating knowledge into action.

This book does not merely describe inequality—it explains its mechanisms, exposes its consequences, and charts a course toward meaningful reform.At a time when economic disparity has reached levels unseen in modern history,
Stiglitz reminds us that the rules of the economy are not laws of nature.
They are choices—and they can be rewritten. His vision aligns with GII's founding conviction: that inequality is not inevitable, and that understanding is the first step toward justice.We recommend this book to scholars, students, policymakers, and citizens who believe that a fairer world is not only necessary but possible.