Wealth inequality is back in the spotlight, but its determinants and the saving behaviour generating it are less clear. The effects of productivity growth, population growth, and the rate. Pikettys book, capital in the twentyfirst century, discusses several factors affecting wealth inequality. Pikettys book is an expansion of his earlier work but also a significant departure. This paper has been written as a chapter for the book the global ramifications of thomas pikettys capital in the 21st century, edited by heather boushey, bradford delong, and marshall steinbaum. Thomas piketty s new book has been widely praised for its empirical contribution, but his prediction of rising inequality rests on economic theory. Free exchange a new anthology of essays reconsiders thomas pikettys capital the book explores arguments left undeveloped in mr pikettys masterwork finance and economics may 18th 2017.
On this side of the atlantic, wealth and income were less concentrated in the 19 th century than in europe. This paper studies the role of various forces affecting savings in quantitative models of wealth inequality. In this thesis, thomas pikettys book capital in the twentyfirst century is critically discussed. This matters because the people who benefit from the. Among other interesting and important facts, the book quantifies the evolution of wealth inequality and wealth concentration over time and across a number of countries.
The bestselling book, and the discussions that surrounded its release, decisively shifted the public conversation about economic inequality. Why are economists giving piketty the cold shoulder. Admittedly, those who love the idea that we should be levying a serious wealth. Inequality in macroeconomic models cairn international. In order to compare wealth patterns in the 20th century with those in the 19th, piketty contrasts household wealth in the former against individual. How gender changes pikettys capital in the twentyfirst. Wealth inequality and the optimal level of government debt. The work of claim and counterclaim that has arisen on the subjects of wealth inequality and returns to capital is useful and productive, but isnt very relevant to the causes of rising.
We study an agentbased model of evolution of wealth distribution in a macro economic system. James davies, rodrigo lluberas and anthony shorrocks, global wealth databook 2019. Pikettys book discusses several factors affecting wealth inequality. Pikettys book and macro models of wealth inequality. Capital in the twentyfirst century raised important questions about inequality that the ivory tower would rather ignore.
The radical economists book capital in the twentyfirst century has angered the right with its powerful argument about wealth, democracy and why capitalism will always create inequality, says. Thomas pikettys new book, capital in the 21st century is rather taking the economics world by storm. Pikettys three big mistakes in inequality analysis. Thomas piketty takes on the ideology of inequality. Six demonstrably false claims in thomas pikettys theory of wealth. Pikettys book and macro models vox, cepr policy portal voxeu.
Six demonstrably false claims in thomas pikettys theory. A new anthology of essays reconsiders thomas pikettys. 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 sparking a. Pikettys book and macro models vox, cepr policy portal. Pikettys inequality story in six charts the new yorker.
In his blockbuster book, capital in the twentyfirst century, he asserts that the. While in the data wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of rich people and the saving rate of the rich is high, many models used for quantitative policy evaluation fail to match these facts. Capitalism and its critics a modern marx leaders the. Pikettys book and macro models of wealth inequality nber. Our paper is related to the recent literature analyzing the macroeconomic. This column argues that pikettys pessimistic forecast is based on an extreme and unrealistic assumption about households saving behaviour.
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