Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World

A basic premise of Winners Take All is that all is not what it appears to be in the world of elite-led ventures to change the world. Giridharadas signals this idea by putting the word “charade” in the subtitle of his book. This suggests that the actions and initiatives that are said to benefit average people or less-fortunate individuals might be a kind of performance masking the reality of elites’ motivations. Giridharadas’s goal is to unveil this charade, exposing how many elite claims to do good for others really serve to uphold inequality.

Throughout the chapters of his book, Giridharadas builds his exposé. One of the key critiques he establishes is that the “win-win” thinking promoted by elites is anything but. While the win-win perspective seems to suggest that “[w]hat is good for me will be good for you,” it also essentially means that “you could help people in ways that let you keep living your life as is, while shedding some of your guilt” (38). Elite leaders characterize the problem-solving methods of governments, non-profits, and similar institutions as “win-lose” because they’re not focused on gaining profits but rather on service to the public or to groups in need.