On Saturday, Sveriges Radio’s Konflikt, a weekly in-depth foreign affairs program, was broadcast with a brief interview of SITE’s Deputy Director Jesper Roine. The topic of the week was set against the backdrop of OECD figures, pointing towards the increasing gap of incomes in its member countries. This in turn was connected to an observed discontent of the public in relation to its elected politicians and the question was posed: How do all of these things interact?

In short, the answer is not easy to condense, and Jesper Roine began the interview by presenting a rather new and radical, albeit rough, theory by the Austrian historian and professor at Stanford, Walter Scheidel. As per Jesper Roine, the theory Scheidler presents is “that the only thing, which historically has levelled out inequalities substantially is conflict.” And how conflict, in a sort of a circularity, is repeated after inequalities are later rebuilt, only to collapse. “Of course, this is an incredibly gratifying subject, now that we are in a phase of widening social divides.”

For the full interview (in Swedish) click here, the interview starts at 10:10 or use the webplayer below.