Economics

Capital and Ideology

Capital and Ideology

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  • Create Date：2021-03-29 14:13:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Thomas Piketty
  • ISBN：0674980824
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Summary

The epic successor to one of the most important books of the century: at once a retelling of global history， a scathing critique of contemporary politics， and a bold proposal for a new and fairer economic system。

Thomas Piketty's bestselling Capital in the Twenty-First Century galvanized global debate about inequality。 In this audacious follow-up， Piketty challenges us to revolutionize how we think about politics， ideology， and history。 He exposes the ideas that have sustained inequality for the past millennium， reveals why the shallow politics of right and left are failing us today， and outlines the structure of a fairer economic system。

Our economy， Piketty observes， is not a natural fact。 Markets， profits， and capital are all historical constructs that depend on choices。 Piketty explores the material and ideological interactions of conflicting social groups that have given us slavery， serfdom， colonialism， communism， and hypercapitalism， shaping the lives of billions。 He concludes that the great driver of human progress over the centuries has been the struggle for equality and education and not， as often argued， the assertion of property rights or the pursuit of stability。 The new era of extreme inequality that has derailed that progress since the 1980s， he shows， is partly a reaction against communism， but it is also the fruit of ignorance， intellectual specialization， and our drift toward the dead-end politics of identity。

Once we understand this， we can begin to envision a more balanced approach to economics and politics。 Piketty argues for a new "participatory" socialism， a system founded on an ideology of equality， social property， education， and the sharing of knowledge and power。 Capital and Ideology is destined to be one of the indispensable books of our time， a work that will not only help us understand the world， but that will change it。

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Reviews

Roo O'brien ，

Building on Capital in the 21st Century- which established that inequality had risen dramatically in many countries in recent years - Piketty takes more of a historical dive to look at the ideological underpinnings of why that happened。 He maintains throughout that nothing was inevitable， that different choices could have been made， and still could be。 A beacon of hope。

Jim Cook ，

Great inequalities in wealth have always required a justifying ideology。 When that ideology looses its power， suggests Piketty， great social change is not far behind。 While this is an old idea， it’s probably best expressed by Hannah Arendt， one of Piketty’s favourite authors: “。。。neither oppression nor exploitation as such is ever the main cause for resentment; wealth without visible function is much more intolerable because nobody can understand why it should be tolerated。” （The Origins of Tota Great inequalities in wealth have always required a justifying ideology。 When that ideology looses its power， suggests Piketty， great social change is not far behind。 While this is an old idea， it’s probably best expressed by Hannah Arendt， one of Piketty’s favourite authors: “。。。neither oppression nor exploitation as such is ever the main cause for resentment; wealth without visible function is much more intolerable because nobody can understand why it should be tolerated。” （The Origins of Totalitarianism， second enlarged edition， p。 4: 1951）。It’s hard to write a short review of a very long book。 This is especially true of Piketty’s recently published Capital and Ideology （2020）。 His book is nearly 1，100 pages in length and is full of historical and statistical data。 The index of graphs and charts， for example， is seven pages long！ Many chapters have over 100 footnotes each。For my review to be relatively brief I will only be able to touch on a few aspects of this amazing book。 Luckily， Piketty provides free on-line access to all of the statistical analysis he includes in his book， including some additional charts and the computer code for the data-driven voters studies he includes in the book。 Before purchasing his fairly expensive hardcover book you should check out these on-line resources。 If you are interested in what you see I would also recommend you read his earlier （2014） book Capital in the 21st Century。 Oh， as well Piketty has put the entire text of his last chapter （which contains many of his recommendations for change to deal with inequality） on-line， so you can read that， too， free of charge。For Piketty the growth of inequality of income and wealth， especially since 1980， along with global warming are the two principal challenges facing us today。 And， in his view， both problems are linked and neither can really be addressed alone。Piketty also argues that to appreciate the growth of inequality - and to understand how best to remedy the problem - it must be examined both historically and globally。 Piketty discusses what he calls six types of inequality regimes ， each of which has its own justifying ideology。 He also examines these regimes globally by looking not just at Europe and North America but also at: Japan， China， Russia， India， Iran， Indonesia， and Brazil， to name some of the states he examines in detail。Interestingly， it appears that all regimes in recorded history are inequality regimes， even highly egalitarian and heavily taxed countries such as Sweden - which he calls “an incomplete equality regime。” In Piketty’s 2014 book he argued that the optimal tax rate was somewhere above 80 percent; in his latest book he pegs that at 90% for those with the highest incomes and who have the most wealth。 Consistent with this perspective， Piketty complained in an interview in 2020 that the revenue from his most recent book was being taxed in France at only about 60%。 His preference would have been to have it taxed at the 90% rate。 At least he has the courage of his convictions！Piketty contends that his approach is consistent with the views espoused by the American philosopher John Rawls in his 1971 magnum opus， A Theory of Justice， as well as his 1982 book Political Liberalism。 Both of Rawls’ books are foundational works in the modern liberal canon。 Piketty recognizes that many thinkers have argued their approach is broadly consistent with that of Rawls， even “rascals” like F。A Hayek， who made that point in the preface to the 1982 edition of his Law， Legislation and Liberty。 I didn’t remember Hayek making that comment so I checked my own copy of that work and， indeed， Piketty is right。 Here’s what Hayek had to say: “。。。I have come to the conclusion that what I might have to say about John Rawl’s A Theory of Justice （1972） [sic] would not assist in the pursuit of my immediate object because the difference between us seemed more verbal than substantial。。。we agree on what is to me the essential point。” My suspicion is that many thinkers - like Hayek - have said their views were consistent with those of Rawls because they never read him！ But Piketty has indeed read his Rawls。Piketty calls his general approach “participatory socialism” to contrast it with the “state socialism” of the old Soviet Union。 Why is a socialist approach required？ A century ago （eg， in the 1880-1914 era） 85-90% of all the wealth in European countries was held by just 10% of the population and the poorest 50% of the population held only 1-2% of the wealth。 By 2018 that had improved somewhat。Now 10% of Europeans only own 35% of the wealth; and 50% of the wealth in the US is owned by 10% of the people there。 Other regions in the world are even worse: In Brazil 55% of all wealth is held by 10% of the population and， in the Middle East， 65% of all the wealth is held by only 10% of the population。By contrast， in Sweden， “only” 25 percent of all the wealth is held by 10% of the population。 For Piketty， even this is too wide a spread。 He suggests the following sorts of reforms in his book: Employees in all business operations should hold 50% of all seats on the board of directors （similar to what occurs in Germany now）; steeper progressive income taxes; steeper progressive wealth taxes; steeper progressive property taxes （property taxes are typically not progressive anywhere now）; steeper inheritance taxes; implementation of carbon taxes; imposition of “exit” taxes for wealthy citizens who try to move their wealth to another country; wealthier countries must increase their foreign aid。Piketty has some interesting and creative proposals regarding how this significantly enhanced revenue should be spent。 Especially interesting are his ideas about a universal capital endowment and his proposals for educational reform。 I don’t have the space to discuss these proposals here but some of it is included in the on-line material that anyone can access。Piketty’s objective is to achieve “a genuine transcendence of capitalism” which can only be accomplished by “transcending the current system of private ownership。” So， how likely are his suggested reforms to be accepted？ My own guess is that， while they are an interesting starting point for meaningful discussion， he has set the tax bar too low。 By that I mean that his proposals will essentially eliminate the middle class as we know it， which is not going to solve the problem。 Although Piketty claims that his tax scheme will actually reduce taxes for lower and middle class people， this is simply not so。 I reviewed my own tax situation in relation to Piketty’s suggestions。 I’m a retired civil servant and the majority of my income comes from my pension; my wife is a retired College instructor who is in the same position。 Using Piketty’s suggested tax rates the following would happen to me: My annual income taxes would go up by about 40%; my property taxes would increase by about 25%; where I now have no inheritance tax， Piketty’s plan would tax it at 30% of its value; and if I attempted to move to another country with lower taxes most of my wealth would be confiscated by the state。Judge for yourself if you would be comfortable with the aforementioned tax consequences for the middle class。Piketty’s book includes succinct summary paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter and sometimes even within chapters。 While this is probably essential in a book of this length I did find it somewhat repetitive。 I only discovered three typographical errors， which in a book of 1，100 pages is outstanding。 Bravo for excellent work in that regard。 The book has excellent indexes， lots of good information available at a free website， but I did find one thing rather odd。 It’s just a little thing， I guess， but I’m surprised that Piketty accepted it。 In the many graphs （and in the relevant parts of the text in the book） Piketty utilized an Indian statistical category labelled “Other Backward Classes” （abbreviated as OBD）。 Piketty never commented on the inappropriateness of such a term， not even in a footnote。While you may not agree with the prescription he recommends to solve the ills of inequality his book is essential reading on this important topic。 。。。more

Pierre Samson ，

La lecture de cet ouvrage de plus de 1000 pages permet de dégager une vision mondiale articulée de l'évolution （1500 à 2020） des différentes idéologies qui ont permis de justifier les rapports d'inégalités entre les plus riches et les moins favorisés。 La lecture de cet ouvrage de plus de 1000 pages permet de dégager une vision mondiale articulée de l'évolution （1500 à 2020） des différentes idéologies qui ont permis de justifier les rapports d'inégalités entre les plus riches et les moins favorisés。 。。。more

Sebastian ，

Un buen libro que analiza las razones históricas e ideológicas de la desigualdad。 Lo único tedioso es que se alarga mucho innecesariamente。

Victor Negut ，

I continue to wonder how Piketty becomes a bestselling author。 His works is very dense， carefully worded in order to favor accuracy over sensationalism， and filled with charts and graphs。 I love it but I am entrenched in academia， I am very happy to read “dry” tomes like this

Luke Spooner ，

This book was an exercise in masochism。 Too big and too academic。 A lot of really interesting information， but way too inaccessible。 I would not expect the author to dumb it down， but maybe release it as like 5 separate volumes？ Also， I know it is standard practice， but all the exposition became pretty draining。。。

Tadas Talaikis ，

Pretty well explains the need of the social programs since the historic start of them。

Jule Sofie ，

Die Analyse von Besitzstrukturen und deren historische Gewordenheit ist wirklich hochgradig interessant。 Allerdings schafft Piketty es， in einem Buch 1200 Seiten über Ungleichheit， die zwischen Frauen und Männer auf einer halben Seite abzuhandeln und nahezu "wegzureden"。Auch durch seinen "neutralen" Ideologiebegriff， neigt er zum Relativismus und nimmt seinen Analysen die Schärfe， die sie brauchen。 Die Analyse von Besitzstrukturen und deren historische Gewordenheit ist wirklich hochgradig interessant。 Allerdings schafft Piketty es， in einem Buch 1200 Seiten über Ungleichheit， die zwischen Frauen und Männer auf einer halben Seite abzuhandeln und nahezu "wegzureden"。Auch durch seinen "neutralen" Ideologiebegriff， neigt er zum Relativismus und nimmt seinen Analysen die Schärfe， die sie brauchen。 。。。more

Dan Forbush ，

I finished this book a few weeks ago and had to give it some time to linger before I decided how to rate it。 I settled on 5 stars because of how expansive and revelatory his thinking is。 This is truly a superb case for a modern day participatory socialism， and though I'm not personally tied down to any ideological label， I find his relentless， clear-eyed focus on inequality to be an incredibly helpful frame for understanding the world。 That being said， this book is NOT for everyone。 It is not ac I finished this book a few weeks ago and had to give it some time to linger before I decided how to rate it。 I settled on 5 stars because of how expansive and revelatory his thinking is。 This is truly a superb case for a modern day participatory socialism， and though I'm not personally tied down to any ideological label， I find his relentless， clear-eyed focus on inequality to be an incredibly helpful frame for understanding the world。 That being said， this book is NOT for everyone。 It is not accessible， it is not focused， there are a million footnotes which genuinely drove me crazy， and it's not always clear how some of the things he discusses relate to the central thesis of the book。 It took me over 6 months to read this book， and I had to take breaks to read things that were more， well， pleasurable。 But I think he has so many good ideas。 He'll make you love taxes， which we all should， and he'll convince you that they should be much higher and be used to fund things that would benefit everyone like a robust welfare state and wealth endowments and high-quality education。 He defines the cleavages in the party in such a simple way （along the axes of redistribution and immigration） that both fits in with political trends around the world and complicates existing narratives。 And most of all， he'll convince you not to give up hope， for there are always a variety of paths forward and numerous switch points （to paraphrase how he puts it） in any given political situation。 We just have to keep educating each other about the ideology that underlies the goals we're trying to achieve。 。。。more

Jimmy ，

Somewhat more uneven than Capital in the 21st Century; Piketty does a good job outlining the development of various inequality regimes and， crucially， their ideological underpinnings。 Piketty is less convincing in his policy proscriptions （。。。a limitation shared with his earlier work）， not because they aren't sound policy， but because the ideological intervention suggested by the title and theme of the book seems entirely absent。Nevertheless this is an important contribution towards deeper study Somewhat more uneven than Capital in the 21st Century; Piketty does a good job outlining the development of various inequality regimes and， crucially， their ideological underpinnings。 Piketty is less convincing in his policy proscriptions （。。。a limitation shared with his earlier work）， not because they aren't sound policy， but because the ideological intervention suggested by the title and theme of the book seems entirely absent。Nevertheless this is an important contribution towards deeper study of the globe's crushing inequality， and hope for an alternative to it。 。。。more

Hamzah Bawkher ，

Capital and IdeologyThis book starts off being very complex but soon becomes much more understandable and fascinating。 Very much worth the read

Tero Weckroth ，

Ein sehr interessantes Buch。 Ich stimme mit den meisten Analysen nicht zu， insbesondere nicht mit dem "Hyperkapitalismus" und seine Wirkungen seit den 80er Jahren。 Und der Autor ignoriert die positiven Effekte des Wettbewerbs und die negativen Auswirkungen， die von den vorgeschlagenen hohen Steuern folgen würden。 Aber mir gefällt die Analyse von die Veränderungen in politischen Wahlzusammensetzung und wie die "Brahmanische Linke" die Rolle spielt， die während des Mittelalters von dem Klerus gesp Ein sehr interessantes Buch。 Ich stimme mit den meisten Analysen nicht zu， insbesondere nicht mit dem "Hyperkapitalismus" und seine Wirkungen seit den 80er Jahren。 Und der Autor ignoriert die positiven Effekte des Wettbewerbs und die negativen Auswirkungen， die von den vorgeschlagenen hohen Steuern folgen würden。 Aber mir gefällt die Analyse von die Veränderungen in politischen Wahlzusammensetzung und wie die "Brahmanische Linke" die Rolle spielt， die während des Mittelalters von dem Klerus gespielt hat。 Die Linke hat seit 1945 von der Arbeiterpartei zur Akademikerpartei geworden。 Und ich kann nicht dagegen argumentieren， dass die Vermögenungleichheit zu gross ist， insbesondere im Erben。 Mir gefällt auch die Ide von einem globalen Erbsteuer。 Die meisten Vorschlage sind nicht realistisch aber ich kann das Buch sehr empfehlen。 。。。more

Jay ，

This is a well written and important book。 Piketty calmly and rationally explains how progressive taxation， shifting away from a hardcore property centric society and cherry picking some socialist ideas might not be such a bad idea。 But here in the US， these ideas are almost always vaguely delivered by clumsy and inept politicians who seem like they just read the inside flap and start screaming。 He doesn't take sides， but but his ideas lie squarely in the leftist liberal domain。 Whatever。Piketty This is a well written and important book。 Piketty calmly and rationally explains how progressive taxation， shifting away from a hardcore property centric society and cherry picking some socialist ideas might not be such a bad idea。 But here in the US， these ideas are almost always vaguely delivered by clumsy and inept politicians who seem like they just read the inside flap and start screaming。 He doesn't take sides， but but his ideas lie squarely in the leftist liberal domain。 Whatever。Piketty here is offering a new perspective and way of doing things。 He is starting a conversation and this book provokes thought and possibility for something better than what we have now and God Bless him for even trying。 。。。more

Ludo ，

A vast amount of research which makes for challenging reading， but very enlightening， and so ambitious in its scope！

Redpoet ，

One of the most significant books out there since Marx died。 How’s that for praise from a guy like me。

Adi ，

In the last line of this book， Piketty writes， "If this book has been able to awaken the reader's interest in new questions and enlighten her with knowledge she did not previously possess， my goal will have been fully achieved。" As far as I'm concerned， he can claim that he did achieve this goal。 But at over a thousand pages， it would be difficult for the reader to finish without learning anything。The history of inequality regimes and the ideologies that were used to justify them that Piketty go In the last line of this book， Piketty writes， "If this book has been able to awaken the reader's interest in new questions and enlighten her with knowledge she did not previously possess， my goal will have been fully achieved。" As far as I'm concerned， he can claim that he did achieve this goal。 But at over a thousand pages， it would be difficult for the reader to finish without learning anything。The history of inequality regimes and the ideologies that were used to justify them that Piketty goes over is very informative。 His use of quantitative data combined with historical and literary texts provides great insight into sociological， economic， and political structures of the past and how we can learn from them today。 At times， the book seems redundant， with Piketty providing many examples for a single argument and constantly restating his theses。 This made the read a little less enjoyable， but the content is still very well researched and presented。 I wish the book went more into why inequality is bad in the first place。 It seems obvious that inequality should be reduced， and provides data on how economic growth slowed down as inequality increased。 But I would have liked more discussion as to the exact processes as to why this trend exists。 Also， while Piketty defends his own proposals for participatory socialism， I wish he pointed out common arguments against his policies and counterarguments to those to strengthen his own views。In sum， I think this is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in political， economic， or sociologic history。 At its core， this book is about the importance of the prevailing ideology at the time in influencing societal structures。 Understanding the current prevailing ideology is necessary to explain modern issues。 We should not simply assume that the current state of affairs exists because it is the best， but rather that it is a result of longer term logic combined with the shorter term sequence of events。 There are many trajectories that we can take， just as there were many we have taken in the past。 。。。more

Beatrice ，

How the world needs this book。 It is， without a doubt， one of few books to have changed me。 I pray it changes everyone else。 For justice， for equality， for the end of poverty。

Laçin ，

It was repetitive and unnecessarily long。 At least half of the tables and graphs should be omitted since there is no need to visualize the same data for the 25435th time within the same book。 Nevertheless， I love Piketty's willingness to provide detailed （and perhaps radical） solutions。 Many other people writing about economic inequalities seem to lack that kind of optimistic imagination。 It was repetitive and unnecessarily long。 At least half of the tables and graphs should be omitted since there is no need to visualize the same data for the 25435th time within the same book。 Nevertheless， I love Piketty's willingness to provide detailed （and perhaps radical） solutions。 Many other people writing about economic inequalities seem to lack that kind of optimistic imagination。 。。。more

Dewi ，

An economic history of ternary， slave， and colonial societies， followed by a democratic and cooperative vision for the future。 This book has inspired me to think a lot more about the role wealth plays in our society， how it can stifle global cooperation and lead to domestic hostilities and nativism， how ideology can be used to justify the status quo as if the status quo is not premised on some ideology， and to consider what policies we need to enact on a global stage to solve global problems tog An economic history of ternary， slave， and colonial societies， followed by a democratic and cooperative vision for the future。 This book has inspired me to think a lot more about the role wealth plays in our society， how it can stifle global cooperation and lead to domestic hostilities and nativism， how ideology can be used to justify the status quo as if the status quo is not premised on some ideology， and to consider what policies we need to enact on a global stage to solve global problems together as one humanity。 。。。more

Patrick Mihalaras ，

An absolute pleasure to read。

Emma ，

The author doesn't seen objective， but biased。 His causal connections at times are flawed。 This is not a scholar， as he does not seem to understand that finding a the true truth in history is a myth that ha been dropped in the 19th century （see Ranke）。 And thematically: why is the gap between rich and poor such a problem？ Is not comparing oneself with others a sure road to not living one's own life？ Improving poverty seems a more important point to me。 I couldn't go on reading the book， mainly b The author doesn't seen objective， but biased。 His causal connections at times are flawed。 This is not a scholar， as he does not seem to understand that finding a the true truth in history is a myth that ha been dropped in the 19th century （see Ranke）。 And thematically: why is the gap between rich and poor such a problem？ Is not comparing oneself with others a sure road to not living one's own life？ Improving poverty seems a more important point to me。 I couldn't go on reading the book， mainly because i could not trust his biased voice to tell me all aspects， both positive and negative to his view。 So， I didn't see him as a valid source of information。 I feared he would keep on pounding on his ideological drums， more interested in convincing than in science。 。。。more

Cara ，

This was。。。 dense， and difficult to get through in the two weeks the library gave me， but left me feeling surprisingly optimistic。

Daniel Schulte ，

This book was really， really long。 I'm glad it's over。 I definitely learned a lot reading it， but boy was it full of statistics， political parties， and economics。 I'm glad I read it， but I'm equally glad it's over。 This book was really， really long。 I'm glad it's over。 I definitely learned a lot reading it， but boy was it full of statistics， political parties， and economics。 I'm glad I read it， but I'm equally glad it's over。 。。。more

William Sowka ，

An outstanding book written by a gifted intellect and writer。 So full of depth and breadth yet absolutely accessible to the lay person。 Although Picketty is an economist， he is wise enough to appreciate the interconnections between economics and other social sciences。 In this light， he looks at the historical， cultural， political， and ideological roots of inequality， spanning internationally from trifunctional societies， slave societies， to modern post colonial and hyper capitalistic societies。 An outstanding book written by a gifted intellect and writer。 So full of depth and breadth yet absolutely accessible to the lay person。 Although Picketty is an economist， he is wise enough to appreciate the interconnections between economics and other social sciences。 In this light， he looks at the historical， cultural， political， and ideological roots of inequality， spanning internationally from trifunctional societies， slave societies， to modern post colonial and hyper capitalistic societies。 In taking on such an endeavor， the author provides the reader with an unmatched education that is important to provoking debate， expanding the research， and developing solutions to inequality with the goal of creating a more just society。 I loved this book and will reread parts of it again。 。。。more

Bastian Emil ，

Pikettys nye mammutværk “Kapital og Ideologi” er nok den mest mest ambitiøse bog， jeg endnu har læst。 Han analyserer og fortolker udviklingen i ulighed bredt i tid og rum， fra feudalsamfund i 1600-tallet til internationale kapitalistiske samfund i dag。 Det gør han ved hjælp af utallige kilder， hvoraf mange er utraditionelle indenfor økonomisk forskning， herunder skønlitteratur， historiske skatte- og arvsopgørelser og spørgeskemaundersøgelser。 På den måde er bogen en ambitiøs fortsættelse af Pike Pikettys nye mammutværk “Kapital og Ideologi” er nok den mest mest ambitiøse bog， jeg endnu har læst。 Han analyserer og fortolker udviklingen i ulighed bredt i tid og rum， fra feudalsamfund i 1600-tallet til internationale kapitalistiske samfund i dag。 Det gør han ved hjælp af utallige kilder， hvoraf mange er utraditionelle indenfor økonomisk forskning， herunder skønlitteratur， historiske skatte- og arvsopgørelser og spørgeskemaundersøgelser。 På den måde er bogen en ambitiøs fortsættelse af Pikettys “Kapitalen i det 21。 århundrede” fra 2013， idet den både behandler det politisk-ideologiske grundlag for uligheden i dybden og omhandler langt flere samfund， herunder flere ikke-vestlige。Det ligger i titlen， at ideologier er omdrejningspunktet for Pikettys analyse af ulighed。 En af hans hovedkonklusioner er: “Uligheden er ikke økonomisk eller teknologisk， den er ideologisk og politisk”。 For Piketty er det vigtigt， at ethvert samfund skal kunne retfærdiggøre sine uligheder。 Det afgørende er ikke nødvendigvis ulighedens niveau men i stedet dens oprindelse og den fortælling， der retfærdiggør uligheden。 Han analyserer grundigt， hvordan ulighed er blevet （forsøgt） legitimeret i forskellige typer samfund og i forskellige perioder i historien。 Grundlæggende er Piketty imod den deterministiske historiefortælling og mener， at man kun kan forstå de langsigtede udviklingsbaner indenfor politik og samfundsindretning， når man forstår de bagvedliggende ideologier og fortællinger: “Historien viser， at forandringer kun kan blive til virkelighed i mødet mellem sociale og politiske kampe og fundamentale ideologiske fornyelser”。 På baggrund af sine mange analyser præsenterer Piketty således i bogens sidste del sit bud på en moderne international socialisme， der ifølge ham kan modvirke nutidens tendenser til øgede uligheder og samtidig reducere sociale spændinger。 Helt konkret foreslår han， at man kan overvinde kapitalismen og det private ejerskab ved at skabe stærkere og mere demokratiske transnationale institutioner， indføre magtdeling i virksomheder， skabe mere progressive arveafgifter og give kapitalbevillinger til alle unge voksne finansieret af progressiv skatter på privatejendom。 Det er kontroversielle forslag， som desværre præsenteres meget ensidigt uden blik for de utilsigtede økonomiske konsekvenser， de måtte medføre。 Udover de åbenlyse politiske bias， der ligger bag flere analyser og konklusioner， er bogen for lang og ikke gennemredigeret nok。 Piketty gentager for ofte sig selv og der er mange delanalyser， som godt kan udelades， fordi de enten er for perifære eller svage， uden at det vil ødelægge bogens flow og argumentationskæde。 Jeg savner også en kritisk redaktør， som har krævet， at bogen bliver mere tilgængelig og letlæselig。 Alt for ofte er begreber ikke defineret （eller også kommer definitionen langt senere）， og det er uklart， hvad pointen er i for mange afsnit。 Det er samlet set ærgerligt， at så mange spændende analyser og betragtninger ikke formidles bedre。 。。。more

Guillaume Hansel ，

Excellent book

Fromlake ，

Affrontare un saggio di economia di quasi 1200 pagine non è cosa da prendere alla leggera。 Aggiungiamo pure il fatto che， essendo molto caratterizzato ideologicamente， le conclusioni di Piketty sono abbastanza prevedibili。 Essendo tuttavia rimasto piacevolmente colpito dal suo precedente lavoro （Il Capitale nel XXI Secolo） ho deciso di buttarmi nell’impresa。 Il risultato finale è stato ottimo。Piketty ha capacità comunicative non comuni， per cui il libro scorre velocemente e non sono richieste co Affrontare un saggio di economia di quasi 1200 pagine non è cosa da prendere alla leggera。 Aggiungiamo pure il fatto che， essendo molto caratterizzato ideologicamente， le conclusioni di Piketty sono abbastanza prevedibili。 Essendo tuttavia rimasto piacevolmente colpito dal suo precedente lavoro （Il Capitale nel XXI Secolo） ho deciso di buttarmi nell’impresa。 Il risultato finale è stato ottimo。Piketty ha capacità comunicative non comuni， per cui il libro scorre velocemente e non sono richieste conoscenze economiche approfondite。 Non è infatti un saggio di economia in senso stretto: nel libro ci sono ampie ricostruzioni storiche e addirittura riscontri letterari per capire meglio l’ordinamento delle società nel corso del tempo， in quanto il leit motiv del libro è l’analisi delle disuguaglianze。 Piketty parte dalle società cosiddette ternarie （quelle divise tra clero， nobiltà e lavoratori） per arrivare ai giorni nostri e dimostrare che i percorsi che conducono ad una società più giusta sono sempre frutto delle nostre scelte politiche。 Questo assunto apparentemente banale assume una valenza profonda alla luce delle analisi storiche。 Un esempio è la Svezia， una nazione che si tende a considerare democratica da sempre ma che in realtà fino a non molti anni fa aveva un sistema elettorale basato sull’entità del patrimonio personale （più eri ricco， più voti avevi）。Piketty avanza proposte molto originali e dirompenti per una società più giusta。 Anche se non le si condivide （in tutto o in parte） leggere questo libro è secondo me importante per stimolare una riflessione ed avviare un serio e documentato dibattito sulle sfide che abbiamo davanti， dalla crescita economica all’istruzione ed all’ambiente。 Lo consiglio senz’altro。 。。。more

Kingsley ，

I enjoyed Captial in the 21st Century more， but htis was still great and interesting and informative。

Jennifer ，

Awe inspiring work that shows remarkable command of world history， social science， politics， and economics。 I learned so much and continue to digest the last few chapters in which Piketty outlines his ideas for a just society。

Bruno Verhofstede ，

Longue lecture 。。。 heureusement entrecoupée de nombreux romans。 Malgré la longueur， ce livre est fort bien documenté， très instructif et donne un recul certain à certains phénomènes actuels de la société dans son ensemble。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Capital and Ideology

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Capital and Ideology&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Capital and Ideology&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0