Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World
Join UCL IIPP in conversation with Brett Christophers, Professor of Human Geography at Uppsala University for a panel discussion on his new book 'Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own
Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World
13 Dec 2023, 17:30 – 19:00
Watch the video here
Join this fascinating discssion on Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 17:30-19:00 (GMT) UK Time at University College London (UCL) or online on Zoom.
About this talk:
In his new book Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World, Brett Christophers peels back the veil on what he calls ‘asset manager society’ – a society in which the natural and built environment becomes one more vehicle of siphoning money from the many to the few. Asset managers, he shows, are unlike traditional owners of housing and other essential infrastructure. Buying and selling these life-supporting assets at a dizzying pace, the crux of their business model is not long-term investment and careful custodianship but making quick profits for themselves and the investors that back them. As the owners of more and more of the basic building blocks of everyday life, asset managers shape the lives of each and every one of us. In his talk, Brett Christophers will dive into how and why this came about, and what the consequences are.
Meet the panel:
- Speaker: Brett Christophers | Professor of Human Geography at Uppsala University
- Discussant: Stefan Horn | PhD Candidate, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
- Chair: Mariana Mazzucato | Director and Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
This talk is convened by Carolina Alves, Associate Professor in Economics, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
please note there are Limited spaces available for in person attendance on a first come first served basis.
Brett Christophers is Professor of Human Geography at Uppsala University’s Institute for Housing and Urban Research. Based at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University, Christophers is particularly interested in urban and housing issues. His recent publications include three books.
Stefan has an academic and professional background in political economy and architecture. After graduating from the University St.Gallen and the London School of Economics he worked in infrastructure finance in London and New York. He subsequently studied architecture earning a degree from the ETSAB in Barcelona. During his architecture education Stefan became aware of the important role of political economic institutions in a sustainable built environment, which animated him to engage in furthe
Founding Director and Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value
UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is founding director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Further information
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