Geographies of the Super-Rich

‘The twelve chapters chart the global geography of the super-rich and provide an effective sociocultural framework for understanding and analyzing the practical economics of wealth at work, home, and play. In doing so, the authors articulate a new geography of abundance (p. 7) and globalization that heretofore has remained hidden behind the gates of country clubs, secure doors of skyboxes, and the confines of elite auction houses… In sum, the collection is solid and well thought out. Indeed, Hay has marshaled a collection that succinctly demonstrates the ways in which the culture, economics, and politics of the super-rich drive globalization.’ – Jay D. Gatrell, Journal of Regional Science‘Globalization, it seems, has propelled the world’s uber-wealthy to new heights of power and money, with tremendous repercussions for the other 99.9 percent of us. At a time when neoliberalism has propelled the world into a new Gilded Age, with rising inequality everywhere, an aggressive class war being waged by the wealthy, and billionaires inserting themselves bluntly into the politicalf arena, understanding the behavior and spatiality of the super-rich has acquired a pressing urgency. This volume offers a richly textured suite of essays concerning how the super-rich have restructured local places, transforming landscapes as varied as London and Kentucky, Ireland and St. Barts, as well as domains as varied as art, thoroughbred horses, and housing.’ – Barney Warf, University of Kansas, US‘The world’s super-rich, made up of just 11 million people, have access to about US$42.0 trillion of wealth. These are people who each have a spare million of “liquid” wealth. Their wealth is roughly equal to two thirds of global GDP. They own most of everything. As the editor of this books states “… library shelves and the pages of journals remain largely devoid of geographical work on the super-rich – a startling lacuna this volume sets out to fill”. The super-rich now own most of the planet. During the last year their share fell slightly. Times may be changing. Now is the time to begin to study the super–rich in detail, especially if you are worried about where all the wealth has gone.’ – Danny Dorling, University of Sheffield, UK

Edited by Iain Hay, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor Emeritus, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Australia