Rebecca Simson is a lecturer in economic and social history at Oxford University, with a focus on postcolonial African history. Her research looks at social structures in postcolonial societies and interrogates questions around the formation (or not) of African wealth elites after independence, the perpetuation of racial and gender wealth inequalities, and the nature of intergenerational transmission of economic privilege in contexts of comparatively limited private wealth ownership. Her current research focuses on Kenya, Sierra Leone and South Africa.  She is contributing to the International Inequality Institute’s research programme on wealth and elites.