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Curated by Project Syndicate

Piketty's Charge

19 commentaries

The English-language publication of Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" has sparked widespread debate over the causes and consequences of rising inequality. Is Piketty's analysis mere fodder for professional economists, or will it move policymakers to act?

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  1. Thomas Piketty’s Japanese Tour

    Thomas Piketty’s Japanese Tour

    Mar 1, 2015 Yuriko Koike asks why income inequality has become more salient in one of the world's most egalitarian countries.

  2. Inheritance and Inequality
    Inequality Rich and Poor_Ian Wood Ian Wood/Flickr

    Inheritance and Inequality

    Oct 21, 2014 Edward N. Wolff refutes Thomas Piketty's argument that wealth transfers exacerbate inequality.

  3. Piketty’s Missing Rentiers
    Rich and poor on street Ice Man/Flickr

    Piketty’s Missing Rentiers

    Sep 18, 2014 Jeffrey Frankel says that inequality is rising, but not for the reason Thomas Piketty has given.

  4. Democracy in the Twenty-First Century
    American Sunset Russ Allison Loar/Flickr

    Democracy in the Twenty-First Century

    Sep 1, 2014 Joseph E. Stiglitz blames rising inequality on an ersatz form of capitalism that benefits only the rich.

  5. The Great Income Divide
    Poor Child on Street Henrik Berger Jorgensen/Flickr

    The Great Income Divide

    Jul 18, 2014 Kemal Derviş calls for potent policies to combat income inequality and strengthen social mobility.

  6. Piketty with Chinese Characteristics
    Thomas Piketty China domestic inequality Socialdemokraterna/flickr

    Piketty with Chinese Characteristics

    Jul 2, 2014 Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng apply to China Thomas Piketty's framework for understanding the country's rising income inequality.

  1. goldberg28_DENIS BALIBOUSEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_wto Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Have Developing Countries Soured on Multilateralism?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg traces the roots of dissatisfaction to advanced economies' use of bodies like the World Trade Organization.
  2. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  3. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  4. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  5. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  6. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  7. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  8. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  9. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.

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