Thomas Piketty On Capitalism And Inequality (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Capitalism had a pretty great story in the twentieth century.  The giant inequalities of the past receded.  Wages rose.  Democracy triumphed.  And economists told us, by in large, this is what capitalism does.  Now comes a new voice with a roaring bestseller, a ton of new data, and a very different story.  Economist Thomas Piketty is the hottest thinker on the planet right now.  And his message is that the twentieth century was an outlier.  That capitalism is now pulling us back to inherited wealth and punishing inequality.  If he’s right, what do we do?  This hour On Point:  Thomas Piketty, and “Capital in the Twenty-First Century.” / Tom Ashbrook

Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/04/29/thomas-piketty-inequality-gregory-mankiw