An Introduction to the participants of the Stone Centre Online Dialogue on Inequality in the History of Economic and Political Thought

The Stone Centre’s online dialogue on Inequality in the History of Economic and Political Thought will explore how thinkers across centuries have grappled with economic disparity.

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Using two recent books as a lens—Branko Milanović’s Visions of Inequality and David Lay Williams’s The Greatest of All Plagues—the panel will discuss how historical debates continue to shape contemporary discussions about inequality.

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Ahead of the event, let’s meet the speakers:

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John Cassidy
A journalist and economist, John Cassidy writes The Financial Page for The New Yorker and has authored several acclaimed books on capitalism. His latest, Capitalism and Its Critics: A History (2025), traces the evolution of capitalism through its critics’ eyes. With his deep knowledge of economic history and journalism, John will chair the discussion, linking historical insights to current debates.

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Beatrice Cherrier
Beatrice is a Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) researcher at the Centre for Research in Economics and Statistics (CREST) and associate professor at École Polytechnique. Her research focuses on the history of applied economics since the 1970s, the impact of technology on economics, and how the rise of applied economics has affected the role and visibility of women in the field. She has published widely, including in History of Political Economy, appeared on BBC Radio 4, and regularly shares her insights through podcasts and her blog, The Undercover Historian.

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Branko Milanović
Senior scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality (CUNY) and former World Bank economist, Branko is a leading expert on global inequality. His book Visions of Inequality (2023) traces economic thought on inequality from the French Revolution to the end of the Cold War. Branko brings a global and historical perspective on inequality to the panel.

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Anna Stansbury
Anna is an Affiliated Scholar at the Stone Center at CUNY and an Assistant Professor at MIT Sloan. Her research looks at labour market disparities based on socioeconomic background and regional inequality, covering employer market power, unionisation, and the minimum wage. She has published papers on regional inequality in the UK, the lack of diversity in the economics profession, and compliance with minimum wage laws. Recently named one of Poets&Quants’ Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors, Anna brings a practical and research-informed perspective to the panel.

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David Lay Williams
David is a professor of political science at DePaul University and an affiliate at the University of Chicago’s Stone Centre for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility. He brings a political perspective to the study of inequality, exploring how thinkers from Plato to Marx understood the moral, social, and political consequences of wealth disparity. His latest book, The Greatest of All Plagues (2024), examines the enduring relevance of economic inequality in political thought. David’s focus on the political dimensions of inequality complements the economic and labour-oriented insights of the other panellists.

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Our panel brings together wide-ranging expertise in economics, and political and economic thought. We’re excited to bring these unique perspectives together for the first time and look forward to a lively discussion. Join us on Tuesday 4^th November 2025. Attendance is free.

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The event will be broadcast live around the world via Zoom and will run for one hour and 45 minutes including a 20 minute question and answer session during which attendees will be invited to submit questions to the panel.

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5pm-6.45pm GMT
12pm-1.45pm New York
11am-12.45pm Chicago

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