Many poor, few rich - what needs to change in the economy and politics. Inequality in the world is increasing: fewer and fewer people are accumulating greater wealth, while the number of poor is growing and the middle class is threatened with decline. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz compellingly illustrates the risks that this dramatic inequality poses for our society and how we can best address it in his new bestseller. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and the global financial and economic crisis has not changed this - quite the opposite. Politics and economics seem to increasingly cater to the interests of the super-rich, even in times of crisis, while many people's situations are deteriorating. This development is particularly evident in the United States. However, as Joseph Stiglitz shows, growing inequality comes at a cost.