We’re living through a period of extreme inequality, where the gap between rich and poor is at its greatest level since the Gilded Age a century ago. But our national conversation about how to address this challenge is equally polarized. Why is inequality growing? Why does it matter? What is the impact on business climate and economy? What are the public policies that would be most effective in reversing inequality? What are the barriers and possibilities for change?

Collins is the great-grandson of German-born meatpacker Oscar F. Mayer. He's an author and a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good.