PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ENGLERT THEATRE, PRAIRIE LIGHTS BOOKS, AND IOWA PUBLIC RADIO

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​The wealthy and powerful few have dominated the masses throughout most of human history. This is starkly visible now more than ever—today, the gulf between oligarchs and the average citizen is larger than any gap that existed during European serfdom or the slave society of Imperial Rome. We have arrived at the most blatant version of oligarchy that most modern states have endured, with politicians bought and paid for across the political spectrum.

 

The strange thing is: we aren’t in open revolt against this system. In fact, we keep voting to prop it up. Why?

 

In this discussion of The Blind Spot, political scientist Jeffrey Winters, with Iowa Public Radio host Ben Kieffer, delivers an urgent, incisive account of how we reached this era of in-your-face oligarchy, exposing how modern democracy was developed to protect the interests of the ultra-rich. By tracing the evolution of oligarchy across the globe and through modern history, he demonstrates how the rule of the wealthy isn’t just a flaw in our democracy, it has been built into its very foundations. Now, in an extraordinary paradox, we exist in a state of “participatory inequality”: a world in which 99.99% of us participate openly and freely—democratically, even—in our own ongoing exclusion and disenfranchisement.

 

But powerful change can begin when we have a clear understanding of where we are, and where we deserve to be. As well as shining a light just how bad our political reality has become, The Blind Spot introduces bold ideas for how we might shift the balance of power. While the rich and powerful do not cede power quietly, this period of shocking inequality is, Winters shows, an opportunity for transformation.

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Dr. Jeffrey Winters is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and the Director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies Program at Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Over the past three decades, Winters has gained an international reputation for his pathbreaking work on oligarchs and elites. His influential 2011 book Oligarchy reintroduced the term to modern audiences and was awarded the prestigious 2012 Luebbert Prize. In addition to specializing on rich industrial countries like the United States, Winters is also an expert on the region of Southeast Asia, and he has lectured extensively in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the US. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New Yorker, National Public Radio, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, PBS, and hundreds of other television, radio, print, and online media venues.​

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Ben Kieffer is the longtime host of River to River on Iowa Public Radio, a role he has held since 2007. Known for thoughtful, incisive interviewing, he brings a wide-ranging curiosity about news and politics, scientific research, history, and literature to help Iowans better understand their state and the wider world. A multi-award-winning host and reporter, Kieffer previously hosted IPR’s weekly live music and talk show Java Blend from 2000 to 2017 and began his public radio career in the mid-1980s as a student announcer on WSUI. He has created and hosted notable series and segments including “Leaving Afghanistan,” “Politics Wednesday,” “Big Brain,” “News Buzz,” and “Groove into the Weekend.” Over the years, he has interviewed major candidates and elected leaders including Terry Branstad, Tom Vilsack, Kim Reynolds, Tom Harkin, Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris.

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The Blind Spot:

How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy

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THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
THE ENGLERT THEATRE

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6:30 pm:

Doors open / Reception with invited guests

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7:30 pm:

Program starting with a reading from the book and ending with Q&A

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8:30 pm:

Book signing with author​

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​Hosted by ICFRC Executive Director Peter Gerlach