Economist, professor and author Branko Milanović joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss global economic inequality, the impact of globalization and the role of migration in addressing inequality.

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Show Notes:

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with economist Branko Milanović about the structural forces driving economic inequality around the world. Milanović explains how globalization has narrowed income gaps between countries while widening them within nations. He reflects on the political consequences of these shifts, including the rise of plutocracies and the erosion of middle-class stability. The conversation explores proposals to reduce inequality—such as pre-distribution policies, changes to taxation, and rethinking access to education. It also examines the dilemmas surrounding global migration and the idea of the “citizenship premium.”

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Branko Milanović, a leading scholar of global economic inequality. Milanović is a research professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center and a senior fellow at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He previously served as lead economist in the World Bank’s research department and has taught at institutions including the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. His books include Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization (2016), Capitalism, Alone (2019), and most recently, Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War (2023). In 2018, he received the Leontief Prize for his work on measuring global income inequality.

Background Reading:

Branko Milanović’s Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin about the role of courts in upholding constitutional democracy. McLachlin reflects on fairness and moral intuition in making judgments. She also discusses the evolution of the “living tree” doctrine and efforts to build consensus and transparency at the Supreme Court. The conversation ends with a look at the balance of power among branches of government and the threats posed by leaders who challenge constitutional norms.

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Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin. Educated at the University of Alberta, where she studied philosophy and law, Beverley McLachlin was sworn in to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. She was appointed chief justice in 2000—a position she held until 2017—becoming the first woman to do so and the longest-serving chief justice to date. A recipient of more than 35 honorary degrees, McLachlin is a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Commander of the Légion d’honneur, among other awards. Her numerous publications include three bestselling novels—Full Disclosure, Denial and Proof—and a memoir, Truth Be Told, which won the Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Non-fiction.

Background Reading:

Beverley McLachlin’s Truth Be Told: The Story of My Life and My Fight for Equality

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy sit to discuss Axworthy’s life in politics, which culminated in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Recorded just a day before the 2025 Ontario general election and eleven days ahead of the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, they also discuss how Canada’s role on the global stage has evolved over the years and the future of Canadian politics.

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Show Notes:

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Lloyd Axworthy is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In 2000, he retired from politics, returning to western Canada, where he served as President of the University of Winnipeg for ten years. In December 2015 he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada. He now chairs the World Refugee & Migration Council and lives with his wife Denise in Ottawa.

Background Reading:

Lloyd Axworthy’s My Life in Politics