Chapter 1 introduces billionaires as the prophets of the neoliberal age, whose entrepreneurship is increasingly shifting from business to other social realms, including politics. Several examples illustrate how the political agency of billionaires goes beyond the national level, and why it is of interest for the study of world politics. It delineates the specific focus of the book: how billionaires, as private actors, can shape public policy across borders, transnationally or within global governance. It discusses the neglect of billionaires as political actors, especially in International Relations, describes the methodological challenges of studying the ultra-wealthy, and explains why the book’s case studies concentrate on billionaires that are U.S. citizens. An outline tells the reader the direction of the inquiry, the main questions, and the major arguments that are being pursued in the following chapters.
