FEW economics books have been as popular or as controversial as “Capital in the Twenty-First Century”. The blockbuster analysis of wealth and income distribution has been a publishing sensation, turning its French author, Thomas Piketty, into a household name. The book’s thesis, that wealth concentrates because the returns to capital are consistently higher than economic growth, has spawned furious debate. Mr Piketty’s preferred remedy (a progressive wealth tax) even more so. But amid the argument most commentators have agreed on one thing: “Capital” is an impressive piece of scholarship.
Finance & economics | Free exchange
Picking holes in Piketty
The latest controversy around Thomas Piketty’s blockbuster book concerns its statistics
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Picking holes in Piketty”
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