Racism is often viewed through the prism of social policy and discrimination law. This separation from mainstream economics and economic inequality means we overlook the mechanisms by which our current models of capitalism can profit or indeed thrive because of racism and racist hierarchies. We know that ethnic minorities, in particular Black African, Black Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities are more likely to be out of work and are disproportionately in low paid sectors - but is this the outcome of employer prejudice and bias or something deeper? Is the economy racist? If so, how? What can be done about it?

Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) is the Director of CLASS, a leading left think tank working to ensure policy is on the side of everyday people. Prior to this, Faiza was Head of Inequality and Sustainable Development at Save the Children UK and Senior Researcher on economic inequality at the New Economics Foundation (NEF). Faiza is an economist, writer, activist and commentator. She is the author of a range of materials and publications covering the most salient social and economic debates of our times, including inequality, austerity, immigration, youth unemployment and social mobility. 

Wilf Sullivan (@Wilf_TU) has worked for the TUC since December 2004, when he was appointed as TUC Race Equality Officer. He worked in Local Government for ten years with young people in the residential care sector and with young people involved with the criminal justice system before subsequently working as a Principal Personnel Officer dealing with Information technology, recruitment and equal opportunities monitoring.

Nonhlanhla Makuyana (@itmeNoni) is the co-founder of Decolonising Economics, a grassroots collective working to build a new-economy movement that is rooted in racial justice and decolonial struggle. 

Felicia Odamtten is the Founder and Director of The Black Economists Network (T-BEN), a UK based organisation with global footprint that seeks to connect, support and inspire Black Economists while challenging the lack of diversity in the field. She is also a Faststream Economist in the UK Civil Service accelerated leadership development programme for talented graduates. Felicia is currently working at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provide economic advice on the current state of the housing market and undertaking economic analysis related to housing supply.

Poornima Paidipaty (@paidipaty) is an LSE Fellow in Inequalities.  She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.  Her work examines the intersections of decolonisation, governance and modern social science.  She helped lead and organize the Measures of Inequality project at Cambridge University, which explores how metrics and statistical frameworks have been central to our historical and political understanding of equality and fairness. Prior to the LSE, Dr. Paidipaty was the Philomathia Fellow in History at Cambridge and a member of the Society of Fellows at the University of Chicago. 

The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.