Gar Alperovitz is Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political-Economy at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative, an organization devoted to developing community wealth-building approaches to local and national democratic reconstruction.

Alperovitz received his Ph.D. in Political-Economy as a Marshall Scholar at Cambridge University, a Masters degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin. Previously, in addition to advising a large coalition of Members of Congress on economic matters (led by Rep. Richard Ottinger), he was a legislative director in the US House of Representatives (with Rep. Robert Kastenmeir of Wisconsin) and the US Senate (with Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin), and a special assistant concerned with United Nations issues in the Department of State.

Alperovitz lectures widely and has testified before numerous Congressional Committees. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, The Nation, The Atlanti, and other popular and academic publications. He has been profiled by The New York Times, The Associated Press, People Magazine, United Press International and Mother Jones, and he has appeared on numerous network television news programs including "Meet the Press," "Larry King Live," "The Charlie Rose Show," "Cross-Fire" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

Alperovitz's most recent book is Unjust Deserts: How the Rich Are Taking Our Common Inheritance (The New Press, 2008). A related recent book is America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty and Our Democracy (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). He is also co-author (with Jeff Faux) of Rebuilding America (Pantheon), and (with Staughton Lynd) of Strategy and Program (Beacon). Another related book is Making a Place for Community (Routledge, with Thad Williamson and David Imbroscio.)