Current issue: January 2026
Who’s Afraid of AI? Maximilian Kasy Discusses His New Book, The Means of Prediction
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| When Maximilian Kasy breaks it down, AI sounds simple — and that’s exactly his point. Stone Center Affiliated Scholar Kasy is both a professor of economics at the University of Oxford and an expert on machine learning, or the use of data and statistical methods to build automated decision-making systems. He recently discussed his new book, which offers a convincing argument for democratic control over AI’s objectives. |
How Does Wealth Inequality Affect Democracy in the U.S. at the State Level?
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 Increasing wealth concentration tends to undermine democracy, according to a recent working paper by Manuel Schechtl, a 2022–2024 Stone Center postdoctoral scholar who is now an assistant professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this interview, Schechtl discusses his study, which combines two new sources of data to compare the extent of democratic backsliding in all 50 U.S. states. His paper is part of the Stone Center Working Paper Series. |
From a Tough Job Market to the Tenure Track at Quinnipiac University
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Economics alumnus and 2024 Stone Center Junior Scholar Aman Desai recovered from a setback to land a role that allows him to teach and pursue his research on how childhood inequality affects both individuals and society. This Graduate Center feature story tells how he first connected with Stone Center Senior Scholar Miles Corak and took full advantage of the opportunities at CUNY to pursue his goal of becoming a professor.
Celina Su, in Budget Justice, Sees City Politics as a Way for People to Come Together
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| Celina Su discusses her most recent book, Budget Justice: On Building Grassroots Politics and Solidarities, which examines participatory budgeting, a process through which neighbors gather to discuss proposals for funding projects related to community interests such as schools, parks, and public housing. Su presented the book in an event this fall cosponsored by the Center for the Humanities and the Stone Center. |
The Illusion of “Degrowth” in a Poor and Unequal World
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| Earlier this year, Branko Milanovic published The World Under Capitalism: Observations on Economics Politics, History, and Culture, a collection of about 125 essays from his blog and Substack newsletter, Global Inequality and More 3.0. In this excerpt, he argues that “degrowth,” or the decision to fix GDP at its current level, is not a viable means of reducing global emissions. |
ICYMI: AI and the Future of Work
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| Artificial Intelligence is developing at breakneck speed, causing much anxiety about how our society and daily lives may change in the not-too-distant future. Top of mind for many: jobs. Watch Daron Acemoglu, Paul Krugman, Danielle Li, and Zeynep Tufekci bring the speculation down to earth in a panel moderated by Steven Greenhouse. |
In the Media
- Work by Salvatore Morelli and data from the GC Wealth Project were cited by The Guardian in a story about inherited wealth. The article cited a report that also included contributions from Janet Gornick and Branko Milanovic.
- Morelli’s work and the GC Wealth Project were also featured in an article by Reuters.
- Branko Milanovic spoke about his latest book, The Great Global Transformation: National Market Liberalism in a Multipolar World, at an LSE event. The U.S. publication of the book, titled The Great Global Transformation: The United States, China, and the Remaking of the World Economic Order, is coming in March.
Stone Center Working Paper Series: Recent Additions
- Income Inequality in South Korea, 1933–2022: Evidence from Distributional National Accounts
S. Hong, N. N. Kim, Z. Mo, and L. Yang. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 113. 2025.
- Human Capital, Unequal Opportunities, and Productivity Convergence: A Global Historical Perspective, 1800–2100
N. Bharti, A. Gethin, T. Jenmana, Z. Mo, T, Piketty, and L. Yang. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 114. 2025.
- When Facts Fail: Experimental Evidence on Perceptions and Preferences towards Chinese Investments in Germany
Z. Mo, K. Kaeppel, C. Schröder, and L. Yang. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 115. 2025.
- Asset Testing in Social Transfer and Welfare Programs in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
P. Valetto and I. Marx. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 116. 2025.
- Inherited Inequality in Latin America
F. H. G. Ferreira, P. Brunori, G. Neidhöfer, P. Salas-Rojo, and L. Sirugue. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 117. 2025.
- Inheritance Expectations, Dynastic Altruism, and Education
J. Mazza. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 118. 2025.
- The “Missing Rich” in Household Surveys: Causes and Correction Approaches
N. Lustig and A. Vigorito. Stone Center Working Paper Series no. 119. 2025.
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The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, a research center at the Graduate Center, CUNY, conducts and promotes quantitative research using inequality as a lens on society, the economy, and politics. The faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and students working within the Stone Center share a commitment to scholarship that is data-driven, interdisciplinary, oriented toward policy and institutional change, and that addresses questions about inequality throughout the world.
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Increasing wealth concentration tends to undermine democracy, according to a recent working paper by Manuel Schechtl, a 2022–2024 Stone Center postdoctoral scholar who is now an assistant professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this interview, Schechtl discusses his study, which combines two new sources of data to compare the extent of democratic backsliding in all 50 U.S. states. His paper is part of the Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Economics alumnus and 2024 Stone Center Junior Scholar Aman Desai recovered from a setback to land a role that allows him to teach and pursue his research on how childhood inequality affects both individuals and society. This Graduate Center feature story tells how he first connected with Stone Center Senior Scholar Miles Corak and took full advantage of the opportunities at CUNY to pursue his goal of becoming a professor.
Earlier this year, Branko Milanovic published The World Under Capitalism: Observations on Economics Politics, History, and Culture, a collection of about 125 essays from his blog and Substack newsletter, Global Inequality and More 3.0. In this excerpt, he argues that “degrowth,” or the decision to fix GDP at its current level, is not a viable means of reducing global emissions.
