Jeffrey A. Winters is Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University and Director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program at the same institution. His research focuses on the study of the history of oligarchy, from the elites who ruled ancient Greece to the billionaires who today lead the Forbes magazine rankings. He has received numerous grants throughout his academic career (National Science Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Yale's Center for International Studies, etc.) and international scholarships (MacArthur Foundation, J. William Fulbright, etc.).

In 2012, Oligarchy won the Best Book in Comparative Politics award from the American Political Science Association.