French economist thomas piketty made a big splash in 2014 with his bestselling book, capital in the twentyfirst century, stirring debate about how. Economist thomas pikettys new book capital and ideology. Pikettys capital in the twentyfirst century, the economics of inequality latest book is an ambitious attempt to analyze inequality and offer ways to reduce it. In 2014, capital in the twentyfirst century, a dense. If inequality has become the subject of intense public attention, a good deal of the credit goes to the french economist thomas piketty. An introduction to thomas pikettys capital in the 21st. Capital in the twentyfirst century thomas piketty harvard. Us nobel prizewinner paul krugman described thomas pikettys capital in the twentyfirst century as perhaps the most important book of the last decade. Thomas pikettys capital in the 21st century is the most influential recent work in the field of economics. Capital in the twentyfirst century by thomas piketty. The book has been adapted into a feature documentary film, directed by new zealand filmmaker justin pemberton.
Like his compatriot, he was very afraid of the new political ideas emanating. It was initially published in french as le capital au xxie siecle in august 20. Thomas piketty is a french economist whose capital in the twentyfirst century has swept american discourse. Capital in the twentyfirst century, by thomas piketty.
Its aim integrates the debate theories of growth, income distribution, inequality and. Follow along with the economists capital in the twentyfirst century book club read. Thomas pikettys capital in the twenty first century. An introduction to thomas piketty s monumental work. Pikettys capital in the 21st century sought to explain the growing gulf between rich and poor, with his research finding the rate of return on capital has far outpaced the rate of. It is the economics book that took the world by storm. Capital in the twentyfirst century, written by the french economist thomas piketty, was published in french in 20 and in english in march 2014. Piketty has been described as a new karl marx and placed in the same league as the. Thomas piketty s capital in the twentyfirst century is a monumental book that will influence economic analysis and perhaps policymaking in the years to come. These are the questions i attempt to answer in this book. Pikettys inequality story in six charts the new yorker. Capital in the twentyfirst century is based on fifteen years of research 199820 devoted essentially to understanding the historical dynamics of wealth and income. Capital and ideology by thomas piketty, hardcover barnes.
He presents a history of inegalitarianism from preindustrial times to the present in various parts of the world, discussing the forms this unfairness has taken and the defenses of it that have been made. It focuses on wealth and income inequality in europe and the united states since the 18th century. This short video from macat explains the key ideas in. In the way it is written and the importance of the questions it asks, it is a book the classic authors of economics could have written if they lived today and had access to the vast empirical material piketty and his colleagues collected. An introduction by stephan kaufmann is a slim introduction to the 685 page book capital in the twenty first century by thomas piketty. Thomas pikettys capital in the twentyfirst century.
In this weeks magazine, ive got a lengthy piece about capital in the twentyfirst century, a new book about rising inequality by thomas piketty, a french economist, that is. Thomas pikettys capital in the 21st century has been the most important book economy in recent times. The english version quickly became an unlikely bestseller, and it prompted a broad and energetic debate on. Thomas pikettys capital in the twentyfirst century verso books. Thomas pikettys findings in this ambitious, original, rigorous work will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.
From the introduction to capital in the twentyfirst century, by thomas piketty social distinctions can be based only on common utility. Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen, article 1, 1789 the distribution of wealth is one of todays most widely discussed and controversial issues. Capital in the twentyfirst century is a 20 book by french economist thomas piketty. It has sparked major international debates, dominated bestseller lists and generated a level of enthusiasmas well as intense criticismin a way no other economic or sociological work has in a long time. Much of this research was done in collaboration with other scholars see the acknowledgements in the beginning of the book. Technical appendix of the book capital in the twenty. Stutzle are european intellectuals who are keen observers of contemporary economics, politics and culture. An introduction by stephan kaufmann and ingo stutzle offers a concise overview of pikettys wellknown book and the dialogue it has set in motion.