Davos Man by Peter S. Goodman

Extended Synopsis

In Davos Man, global economics correspondent Peter S. Goodman delivers a searing critique of the extreme wealth centralization that has defined the last fifty years of capitalism. He argues that the world's most affluent individuals have systematically deprived governments of necessary resources, leaving democratic institutions vulnerable and populations unprepared for global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goodman profiles five representative members of the billionaire class alongside textured, boots-on-the-ground portraits of working-class individuals across the globe—from a Midwestern American steelworker to an Amazon warehouse employee in New York. The book exposes how widening wealth inequality impacts housing, healthcare, taxation, and democratic stability on a global scale.