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A Brief History of Equality Hardcover – April 19, 2022
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A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A Public Books Best Book of the Year
“An opportunity for readers to see Piketty bring his larger argument about the origins of inequality and his program for fighting it into high relief.”
―Nicholas Lemann, New York Times
The world’s leading economist of inequality presents a short but sweeping and surprisingly optimistic history of human progress toward equality despite crises, disasters, and backsliding. A perfect introduction to the ideas developed in his monumental earlier books.
It’s easy to be pessimistic about inequality. We know it has increased dramatically in many parts of the world over the past two generations. No one has done more to reveal the problem than Thomas Piketty. Now, in this surprising and powerful new work, Piketty reminds us that the grand sweep of history gives us reasons to be optimistic. Over the centuries, he shows, we have been moving toward greater equality.
Piketty guides us with elegance and concision through the great movements that have made the modern world for better and worse: the growth of capitalism, revolutions, imperialism, slavery, wars, and the building of the welfare state. It’s a history of violence and social struggle, punctuated by regression and disaster. But through it all, Piketty shows, human societies have moved fitfully toward a more just distribution of income and assets, a reduction of racial and gender inequalities, and greater access to health care, education, and the rights of citizenship. Our rough march forward is political and ideological, an endless fight against injustice. To keep moving, Piketty argues, we need to learn and commit to what works, to institutional, legal, social, fiscal, and educational systems that can make equality a lasting reality. At the same time, we need to resist historical amnesia and the temptations of cultural separatism and intellectual compartmentalization. At stake is the quality of life for billions of people. We know we can do better, Piketty concludes. The past shows us how. The future is up to us.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBelknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press
- Publication dateApril 19, 2022
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100674273559
- ISBN-13978-0674273559
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“An opportunity for readers to see Piketty bring his larger argument about the origins of inequality and his program for fighting it into high relief.”―Nicholas Lemann, New York Times
“A Brief History of Equality is a route into Piketty’s arguments in his earlier books, with their luxuriantly extensive data and historical detail. Anybody who has not been able to face those tomes…should read this one.”―Diane Coyle, Financial Times
“Peak Piketty…He possesses the rarest of abilities to analyze staggering quantities of information and offer original insights into the structures that underpin our economies…At a time when the concept of objective truth is under assault and when the nuance of argument can be drowned out by the shouting of slogans, there is something glorious about the scale of the work of Thomas Piketty. His arguments are vast in their detail, ever ambitious and always hopeful. This elegant and (by his standards) short book will allow any reader to understand the glory.”―Paschal Donohoe, Irish Times
“An analysis that might just provide a fresh opportunity for social hope…Piketty has undeniably identified clues about how to achieve a more egalitarian world.”―Richard Horton, The Lancet
“An activist’s history, part reckoning with the past and part manifesto for the future, designed to bolster the courage of those who would continue the forward march. It is an admirable undertaking…Piketty mounts an impassioned plea for a renewed and retooled commitment to equality in its various forms, laying out an ambitious blueprint for a new kind of democratic, self-managing and decentralized socialism, not least as a counter to the authoritarian, state-socialist model of China.”―Darrin M. McMahon, Literary Review
“Piketty is now attempting to revive an egalitarian political project that he traces all the way back to the Enlightenment, but which has stalled since 1980. In A Brief History of Equality he lays out a program of democratic socialist reforms―to taxation, property rights, corporate governance, international regulation and much else―that would invert recent trends.”―William Davies, London Review of Books
“Tidier and more lucid…Piketty is guardedly optimistic about the prospects for future social progress.”―Timothy Noah, New Republic
“Piketty…avoid[s] the twin seductions of triumphalism and hopelessness. He treats the concept of equality more expansively here, including not only income and property but also gender and race. By moving the focus from inequality to equality, he suggests that what’s needed isn’t only the harsh light of critique but also the remedy of repair.”―Jennifer Szalai, New York Times
“[Piketty] argues that we’re on a trajectory of greater, not less, equality and lays out his prescriptions for remedying our current corrosive wealth disparities.”―David Marchese, New York Times Magazine
“A nice distillation of the ‘rockstar’ economist’s ideas and a good entry point for the uninitiated…[Piketty] points out that an unequal concentration of wealth is bad for growth and corrosive to democracy, precisely because it limits social mobility and prevents people from accessing key institutions…If the politics of Europe and America during the last decade have taught us anything, it is that the failure to address inequality is highly corrosive to the social contract. It fosters distrust and resentment, and makes people vulnerable to demagogy, populism, xenophobia, and reactionary politics of all kinds.”―Jared Marcel Pollen, Quillette
“Surprisingly optimistic…Building on his previous works and drawing on the sweeping historical record, Piketty brings his larger argument about the origins of inequality and the political, social, and institutional contexts of its evolution into sharp relief.”―Era Dabla-Norris, Finance & Development
“Thomas Piketty presents a narrative of history that is optimistic―a narrative that shows, despite numerous setbacks, over the long durée that civilization is trending towards social, economic and political equality.”―Ethan Linehan, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books
“Merciful in its brevity, although no less intellectually rigorous. Designed to be read by politically-minded citizens, not just economists, it distills the key concepts from Piketty’s previous three books…Piketty’s overview of 20th-century history and politics has given us a blueprint for achievable political transformation and reason to hope that progress is possible.”―Eleni Vlahiotis, PopMatters
“[Piketty] constantly rethinks and seeks to address new audiences. His impact on political thinking and strategy is undoubted: there can be no denying that the increasing call for wealth taxation draws on his lead. In this spirit, this book will occupy a valuable place in his wider set of writings.”―Mike Savage, Administrative Science Quarterly
“This thought-provoking book is recommended to all readers who want to learn more about how the scourge of inequality might be dealt with and enhance the lives of all humans.”―Choice
“Marked by Piketty’s trademark lucidity, impressive multidisciplinary scholarship, and provocative progressivism, this is a vital introduction to his ideas.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“There is no historian of global inequality more impactful today than Piketty. His latest book is a succinct synthesis of the important lessons of his work to date―a valuable resource for all of us trying to build an economy that is driven by value creation for all and not value extraction for the few.”―Mariana Mazzucato, author of Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism
“Thomas Piketty helped put inequality at the center of political debate. Now, he offers an ambitious program for addressing it. The revitalized democratic socialism he proposes goes beyond the welfare state by calling for guaranteed employment, inheritance for all, power-sharing in corporations, and new rules for globalization. This is political economy on a grand scale, a starting point for debate about the future of progressive politics.”―Michael J. Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good?
“A Brief History of Equality is a literally exceptional book. Thomas Piketty documents the economic growth and moral progress humanity has experienced over the past three centuries and draws a new inspiration from this history. Others who emphasize progress succumb to flatfooted views of well-being, technocratic fear of politics, and quietism about justice. But Piketty confronts historical progress with a subtle understanding of human flourishing, a keen appreciation for political struggle, and a deep commitment to a more just world. In this way, Piketty makes past progress into a call to continue the struggle for justice, with stronger historical foundations, a deeper understanding of the present, and a clearer vision for the future.”―Daniel Markovits, author of The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite
“A profound and optimistic call to action and reflection. For Piketty, the arc of history is long, but it does bend toward equality. There is nothing automatic about it, however: as citizens, we must be ready to fight for it, and constantly (re)invent the myriad of institutions that will bring it about. This book is here to help.”―Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press (April 19, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0674273559
- ISBN-13 : 978-0674273559
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #203,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in Income Inequality
- #169 in International Economics (Books)
- #194 in Theory of Economics
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Thomas Piketty (French: [tɔˈma pikɛˈti]; born on 7 May 1971) is a French economist who works on wealth and income inequality. He is a professor (directeur d'études) at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), professor at the Paris School of Economics and Centennial professor at the London School of Economics new International Inequalities Institute.
He is the author of the best-selling book Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2013), which emphasises the themes of his work on wealth concentrations and distribution over the past 250 years. The book argues that the rate of capital return in developed countries is persistently greater than the rate of economic growth, and that this will cause wealth inequality to increase in the future. He considers that to be a problem, and to address it, he proposes redistribution through a progressive global tax on wealth.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Gobierno de Chile [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book readable and engaging. It provides valuable information and ideas on inequality and its evolution. They appreciate the scholarly approach and consider it an important contribution to the history of equality. The book explores the role of taxation systems in exacerbating or alleviating inequality.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book accessible and engaging. They appreciate its valuable information and ideas that help understand historical movements that have led to where we are now. The book helps them understand large historical movements that have led the West to where we are now, providing a roadmap for ameliorative actions.
"...But you know, in my experience as a teacher, I see a natural attraction for collaboration, the acceptance of diversity, and an overwhelming desire..." Read more
"...is Piketty's argument that greater equality is achievable through deliberate social and political action, even if progress isn't automatic or..." Read more
"...tax policies in creating a permit under class and provides a roadmap for ameliorative actions that would result in a much more fair economic system..." Read more
"...It helped me understand large historical movements that have led the West to where we are now...." Read more
Customers find the book's history of inequality insightful. They appreciate the book's sweeping and sustained perspective on inequality, including its evolution in different historical periods. Readers highlight the book's discussion of taxation systems and their role in exacerbating or alleviating inequality. The book also highlights the gradual progress toward social, economic, and political equality from the Enlightenment through the present day.
"...a teacher, I see a natural attraction for collaboration, the acceptance of diversity, and an overwhelming desire for social justice in this..." Read more
"...book traces major advances in social, economic, and political equality from the Enlightenment through the present day...." Read more
"...There is a great deal of new research on inequality. For example, Piketty several times refers to inheritance archives from 19th Century France...." Read more
"In his "brief history" Piketty provides a sweeping history of inequality particularly as it evolved in Europe and the United States...." Read more
Customers like the taxation. They mention progressive taxation and power-sharing in business.
"...Progressive taxation, with heavy taxes on the filthy rich, is essential, as is investment in education and health care...." Read more
"...of large corporations, affirmative action in education, strongly progressive taxes, universal income, international transfers to developing nations,..." Read more
"...multicultural, based on the extension of the welfare state and progressive taxation, power-sharing in business enterprises, postcolonial reparations..." Read more
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An accessible text on a complex topic
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2022Since I first heard about Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, I have been on a mission to understand just what that means. I read several chapters and what I could grasp captivated me, but the information was so layered and so dense that I soon abandoned the effort but vowed to come back, eventually. Then the second book came out, and I bought that and made vows again to read them both. But I never did. Then, this book came out last year. Finally, I had something a little more manageable and easier to absorb, especially for a non-numbers sort of person (me X 10). I could hold it in my hands and it seemed an achievable read, and it was. Although the information was still dense and filled with much data, it was presented in a way that this compartmentalized learner could grasp. I could keep most of the eggs in the basket (of my brain) without too much spilling out. I took notes in the margins, googled economics lingo like “censitary” (which I’m still fuzzy on) and plodded on.
I love the multiple approaches that Piketty takes in this text to explain complex systems and the effects of and influences on those systems. I also love the graphs which I tell my own students, “should help the reader access the information,” and they certainly do. But this text is not simply an economics primer; it’s much, much more. Piketty pulls in multiple disciplines to tell this story, and this is indeed a narrative of how we (all of us) came to be (in terms of economics) and how we are presently and why. He tells the history, influence, and damaging effects of colonialism on the world since the 18th century through 2021. Those multiple disciplines that weave this harsh tale are economic, historical, sociological, anthropological, political, religious, and more. There’s an extended discussion of how political and economic transformations happen, through crisis and revolution.
Piketty writes clearly about solutions, and he explains why there might be reason for optimism for the future, based on the progress the world has made in the last 300 years, particularly in health care, education, and financial systems. His detailed solutions include progressive taxation on the wealthiest (billionaires and multinationals), a welfare state, education equality, and a strong push for democratic socialism. Piketty also makes clear that a significant part of the solution must include a dramatic and systematic plan to fight climate change. In fact, this theme is paramount throughout this text.
I don’t know if Piketty’s solution would work, but he does give historical precedent and evidence in the effect that a crisis or violent revolution has on lawmakers in bringing about a more equitable outcome for those less privileged. My concern is that Piketty’s solutions require much collaboration, deliberation with universal and global objectives for equality. With the intense thirst for nationalism, authoritarianism, scapegoating of immigrants, and fictionalized “news,” this “coming together” seems unlikely, for now. But the catastrophic effects of climate change (which increase hourly) and potential for a worldwide revolt against the excess and exploitation by the wealthiest (who have the lion’s share of everything in freakish proportion to the lower 90% of folks) may create a change in mindset. But you know, in my experience as a teacher, I see a natural attraction for collaboration, the acceptance of diversity, and an overwhelming desire for social justice in this generation. This generation may very well correct or find solutions to solve the mistakes of my generation. This generation may very well save us.
5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible text on a complex topicSince I first heard about Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, I have been on a mission to understand just what that means. I read several chapters and what I could grasp captivated me, but the information was so layered and so dense that I soon abandoned the effort but vowed to come back, eventually. Then the second book came out, and I bought that and made vows again to read them both. But I never did. Then, this book came out last year. Finally, I had something a little more manageable and easier to absorb, especially for a non-numbers sort of person (me X 10). I could hold it in my hands and it seemed an achievable read, and it was. Although the information was still dense and filled with much data, it was presented in a way that this compartmentalized learner could grasp. I could keep most of the eggs in the basket (of my brain) without too much spilling out. I took notes in the margins, googled economics lingo like “censitary” (which I’m still fuzzy on) and plodded on.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2022
I love the multiple approaches that Piketty takes in this text to explain complex systems and the effects of and influences on those systems. I also love the graphs which I tell my own students, “should help the reader access the information,” and they certainly do. But this text is not simply an economics primer; it’s much, much more. Piketty pulls in multiple disciplines to tell this story, and this is indeed a narrative of how we (all of us) came to be (in terms of economics) and how we are presently and why. He tells the history, influence, and damaging effects of colonialism on the world since the 18th century through 2021. Those multiple disciplines that weave this harsh tale are economic, historical, sociological, anthropological, political, religious, and more. There’s an extended discussion of how political and economic transformations happen, through crisis and revolution.
Piketty writes clearly about solutions, and he explains why there might be reason for optimism for the future, based on the progress the world has made in the last 300 years, particularly in health care, education, and financial systems. His detailed solutions include progressive taxation on the wealthiest (billionaires and multinationals), a welfare state, education equality, and a strong push for democratic socialism. Piketty also makes clear that a significant part of the solution must include a dramatic and systematic plan to fight climate change. In fact, this theme is paramount throughout this text.
I don’t know if Piketty’s solution would work, but he does give historical precedent and evidence in the effect that a crisis or violent revolution has on lawmakers in bringing about a more equitable outcome for those less privileged. My concern is that Piketty’s solutions require much collaboration, deliberation with universal and global objectives for equality. With the intense thirst for nationalism, authoritarianism, scapegoating of immigrants, and fictionalized “news,” this “coming together” seems unlikely, for now. But the catastrophic effects of climate change (which increase hourly) and potential for a worldwide revolt against the excess and exploitation by the wealthiest (who have the lion’s share of everything in freakish proportion to the lower 90% of folks) may create a change in mindset. But you know, in my experience as a teacher, I see a natural attraction for collaboration, the acceptance of diversity, and an overwhelming desire for social justice in this generation. This generation may very well correct or find solutions to solve the mistakes of my generation. This generation may very well save us.
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2024Thomas Piketty's "A Brief History of Equality" (2022) offers a notably different perspective from his previous works like "Capital in the Twenty-First Century." While his earlier books focused on documenting rising inequality, this more concise volume presents a cautiously optimistic view of humanity's long march toward greater equality since the 18th century.
The book traces major advances in social, economic, and political equality from the Enlightenment through the present day.
Piketty argues that significant progress has been made through social movements, policy reforms, and institutional changes - from the abolition of slavery and expansion of voting rights to the development of progressive taxation and social welfare systems.
A key strength of the book is how it grounds this optimistic narrative in Piketty's characteristic detailed historical data analysis. He shows how various measures of inequality - in wealth, income, education, health, and political rights - have generally trended toward greater equality over the past two centuries, even if that progress has been uneven and faced periodic setbacks.
However, Piketty is careful not to paint too rosy a picture. He acknowledges ongoing challenges and emphasizes that progress toward equality has required constant social struggle and political mobilization. The book argues that continued advancement will depend on similar efforts to develop new forms of economic and political organization.
Some critics have argued that Piketty understates the fragility of historical gains and the power of forces working against equality. Others suggest his focus on Western democracies leaves out important parts of the global story.
The book is notable for being more accessible than Piketty's previous technical works while maintaining his empirical rigor. It synthesizes much of his earlier research into a broader historical narrative about the fight for equality and democracy.
The key takeaway is Piketty's argument that greater equality is achievable through deliberate social and political action, even if progress isn't automatic or irreversible. The book aims to provide historical perspective and hope for those working toward a more equitable future.
Top reviews from other countries
- Alex MitchellReviewed in Canada on December 23, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Great author
Expert author
- Ibrahim Nazmi Ekber OnukReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Piketty
A pleasure to read and learn from Thomas Piketty
- Jasmin MarstonReviewed in Germany on December 22, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and summary of his previous works (in less pages)
The volume of data and histories that Thomas Piketty has worked through are unprecedented.
His writing style easy to follow, and the knowledge he has and shares simply amazing.
In many ways, this book can be seen as part of the trilogy, or potentially a summary of Piketty’s recent works. If you didn’t make it through the 800+ pages of ‘the Capital’, which presented an amazing amount of data (alas, western centred, due to availability), nor the even longer but more international sequel, “Capital and Ideology” (2019), which I myself have yet to get through, then “A Brief History of Equality,” is just what you have been waiting for.
In “A Brief History of Equality”, Piketty defends: “the possibility of a democratic and federal socialism, decentralized and participatory, ecological and multicultural, based on the extension of the welfare state and progressive taxation, power-sharing in business enterprises, postcolonial reparations, the battle against discrimination, educational equality, the carbon card, the gradual decommodification of the economy, guaranteed employment and the inheritance for all, the drastic reduction of monetary inequalities, and finally, an electoral and media system that cannot be controlled by money”. (2022, p.237)
It is all that it promises to be and more. And in much less pages than his previous books!
I highly recommend it and greatly enjoyed re-reading it!
- MathurReviewed in India on June 23, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely analysis with solutions
Has global solutions
- Leon MiuraReviewed in Canada on August 26, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars Book sleeve wrinkled and damaged
Sleeve wrinkled and damaged; however book is in perfect condition. Can I get just a a replacement for the sleeve?
Leon Miura
Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2022
Images in this review