Social Science Matrix is honored to co-sponsor this upcoming book talk with authors and UC Berkeley economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, focused on their new book, The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay. The book presents a forensic investigation into a dramatic transformation that has taken place in recent decades: even as they became fabulously wealthy, the ultra-rich have had their taxes collapse to levels last seen in the 1920s. Eschewing anecdotes and case studies, Saez and Zucman offer a comprehensive view of America’s tax system, based on new statistics covering all taxes paid at all levels of government. Their conclusion? For the first time in more than a century, billionaires now pay lower tax rates than their secretaries. Join us to hear Saez and Zucman present their work and take questions from the audience. Hosted by the UC Berkeley Department of Economics, and co-sponsored by the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, the Stone Center on Wealth and Income Inequality, and the Center for Equitable Growth.

About the Speakers

Emmanuel Saez is professor of economics and director of the Center for Equitable Growth at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on tax policy and inequality from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. With Thomas Piketty, he has constructed long-run historical series of income inequality in the United States that have been widely discussed in public debate. He received his PhD in economics from MIT in 1999. He was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal of the American Economic Association in 2009 and a MacArthur Fellowship in 2010.

Gabriel Zucman is professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. His research analyzes the accumulation and distribution of wealth through global and historical perspectives. He received his PhD in economics from the Paris School of Economics in 2013. He was awarded the Bernácer Prize in 2018 and a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2019. He is the author of The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens, which has been translated into eighteen languages.