The Blind Spot

Name: The Blind Spot
Price: 59.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780241661826

How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies

Jeffrey Winters

$59.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Allen Lane
04 August 2026

Social discrimination; Political science & theory; Political structures: democracy

A gripping and counterintuitive new account of oligarchy from 'the most astute social scientist studying the phenomenon today' (Guardian), which reveals how and why it has come to thrive in democracies everywhere

The wealthy and powerful few have dominated the many throughout most of human history. This is starkly visible now more than ever - today, the gulf between oligarchs and the average citizen is vastly larger than any gap that existed during European serfdom or the slave society of Imperial Rome. The strange thing is, for the first time in history, this domination is accomplished through democracy. Yet we aren't in open revolt against the system. In fact, we keep voting to prop it up. Why?

In The Blind Spot, political scientist Jeffrey Winters delivers an urgent, incisive account of how we reached this era of in-your-face oligarchy, exposing how modern democracy was designed to protect the interests of the ultra-rich. Tracing the evolution of oligarchy through the democratic era, he demonstrates how the power of the wealthy isn't just a flaw in our democracy, it was 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 economic exclusion.

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 on just how bad our political reality has become, The Blind Spot introduces bold ideas for how we might shift the balance. Even though oligarchs may not cede power willingly, this period of shocking inequality is, Winters shows, an opportunity for lasting transformation.

By: Jeffrey Winters
Imprint: Allen Lane
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 750g
ISBN: 9780241661826
ISBN 10: 024166182X
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 04 August 2026
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.

Reviews for The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies

The most astute social scientist studying the phenomenon [of oligarchy] today -- Jan-Werner Muller No one knows more about the rise of oligarchy in America than Jeffrey Winters. Anyone concerned about the domination of democracy by the ultra-rich should read this damning book -- Jane Mayer, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Money This book grips like a political thriller, warns like an alarm, and astonishes on every page. It’s not only one of most important books I’ve read in a long time, it’s also a real page-turner. After reading The Blind Spot, you'll never see democracy the same way again -- Jonathan Eig, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for King: A Life