I am a Professor of Politics and International Relations at the LSE's International Relations Department. My background has strongly informed the ideas and research focus of my work, particularly the latest book Estate Origins. The book and my earlier papers form an academic project. But the thoughts and framework reflect observations about the countries and cultures I have immersed myself in, simultaneously as a native and outside observer—Uzbekistan, India, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, America, and Britain. Their social structures are different, but everywhere I lived I found similarities in how the various nations produce the elite and the insiders, the marginals, and the outsiders. These patterns transcend watershed events—revolutions, independence movements, the fall of colonialism, and wars. I find naïve the recent “rock star” economist solutions for how to deal with intractable inequalities and injustices. You will discern this scepticism in my book—and more. It diverges from materialist angles on class; I dissect the more substantive inequalities going beyond the factor of “offshore havens” and “executive pay” and delving deeper into the inner logics of societal preservation, robustness, and resilience.Read more about this authorRead less about this author