Can the Rich & Powerful Make Society Better?

A Central Asian Case to Consider

Professor Morgan Liu

Some rich and powerful people, like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, or Oprah Winfrey, claim they can use their wealth and influence to make the world a better place. But what can the rich and powerful (“elites”) really do for society as a whole?

How can elites really transform the structural problems of a society?  Are there limits to what elites can accomplish for the common good? I present a case study from a Central Asian city where a grand patron claimed to act for the communal good by building urban institutions serving people. As a result, a discriminated community flourished in this city under politically adverse circumstances for 20 years. The city is Jalalabat, Kyrgyzstan during the first two decades of this ex-Soviet republic’s independence. We conclude with the global implications about what elites can and cannot do for the public good.

March 18^th, 2020

Room 006 Psychology Building

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM