TED talks: New thoughts on capital in the twenty-first century – Thomas Piketty

With his 2013 best-selling book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, the French economist Thomas Piketty propelled himself to fame. Or, at least, as close to fame as a French economist can get.

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The book established Piketty as one of today’s most exciting theorists and as news channels’ go-to-guy for all things inequality.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century argues that the rate of capital return in developed countries is greater than the rate of economic growth, meaning wealth inequality will only increase in the future. Piketty’s solution? A highly controversial global tax on wealth.

In this week’s featured TED talk, Piketty explains the data that led him to conclude that the global economy is heading for disaster. 

To view this video on the TED website, click here.

Photo: Jason Wen via Flickr

Further reading:

TED talks: the state of the climate and what we might do about it – Lord Stern

TED talks: your top five featured TED Talks

TED talks: A park underneath the hustle and bustle of New York City – Dan Barasch

TED talks: How to grow a tiny forest anywhere – Shubhendu Sharma

TED Talks: Can we prevent the end of the world? – Martin Rees