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

“Darrell West has taken us on a thoughtful romp through the world of our new billionaire class… to understand and explain who they are and what they do. This is both an important book and a good read.”—E. J. Dionne, Georgetown University, USA

“In the United States and across the world, billionaires are front and center in politics — running for office, bankrolling campaigns and lobbies, pushing policy messages. With a riveting mix of facts and stories, Darrell West tells us who these new plutocrats are, what they think about politics, and how they manuever to get what they want. West faces the tough ethical issues, too, and asks whether watchdogs can still bark at billionaires operating in secret. BILLIONAIRES is a must read for all who care about the future of democracy.”—Theda Skocpol, Harvard University

Darrell M. West is the vice president of Governance Studies and the director of the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. He is the author of 19 books on American politics and the recipient of several book awards.