--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When inequality alarmists like Krugman…" description: "\"“When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the post-war era as a model, they are not doing so in the name of prosperity, or even “shared prosperit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg" --- # When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the… ![“When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the post-war era as a model, they are not doing so in the name of prosperity, or even “shared prosperity,” but economic equality—equality as an end in itself.” quote by Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg) > ““When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the post-war era as a model, they are not doing so in the name of prosperity, or even “shared prosperity,” but economic equality—equality as an end in itself.”” [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Equality should be valued for its own sake, not merely as a means to prosperity. **In simple terms:** Equality is an end, not a tool. Key Takeaway Prioritize fairness over profit. Themes equality values economics Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - legislation - corporate governance - wealth distribution - education reform Key Concepts social justice public policy Questions to Reflect On - Is it possible to balance equality with economic growth? - When does equality become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on equality may ignore efficiency or innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economic equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-equality/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“We must insist on putting production at the heart of economic analysis. The inequality alarmists take the existence of progress and prosperity for granted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/we-must-insist-on-putting-production-at-the-heart-of-economic/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [The legalization of drugs, a proliferation of a public health approach to drug use and drug addition, a compassionate mental health system. 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The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-society-that-puts-equality-before-freedom-will-end-up-with/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/how-can-it-be-that-it-is-not-a-news-item-when-an-elderly-homeless/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The greatest country, the richest country, is not that which has the most capitalists, monopolists, immense grabbings, vast fortunes, with its sad, sad soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-greatest-country-the-richest-country-is-not-that-which-has-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, for the few, and to replace it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-time-for-a-new-beginning-for-an-end-to-government-of-the-few-by/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Now it is unambiguously clear that trickle-down economics does not work. 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Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More by Don Watkins > [“hat are the effects of increasing minimum wages?” asks Paul Krugman. “Any Econ 101 student can tell you the answer: The higher wage reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/hat-are-the-effects-of-increasing-minimum-wages-asks-paul-krugman-any/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [“All of these agencies were enormously active during the so-called laissez-faire era. As the former CEO of BB&T Bank John Allison notes, “Government spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/all-of-these-agencies-were-enormously-active-during-the-so-called/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [“There is an inequality problem involved in cronyism, however: cronyism is an example of political inequality. 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To distribute it, society would first have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/wealth-is-not-distributed-by-society-it-is-produced-and-traded-by-the/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [“We’re taught to think of the minimum wage as a mechanism for helping people earn more. What it actually does is prevent people from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/we-re-taught-to-think-of-the-minimum-wage-as-a-mechanism-for-helping/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [“Consequently, even many critics of economic inequality are hesitant to endorse the claim that inequality undermines growth. Paul Krugman, for instance, says that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/consequently-even-many-critics-of-economic-inequality-are-hesitant-to/) [Don Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/) > [“We must insist on putting production at the heart of economic analysis. 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This is the great revolution through which we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/the-boundaries-of-democracy-have-to-be-widened-so-as-to-include/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [Economic equality is the master-key to nonviolent independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/economic-equality-is-the-master-key-to-nonviolent-independence/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Since ancient times, the left side has stood for the side of the unconscious or the unknown; the right side, by contrast, has represented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-gebser/since-ancient-times-the-left-side-has-stood-for-the-side-of-the/) [Jean Gebser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-gebser/) > [Political Freedom without economic equality is a pretense, a fraud, a lie; and the workers want no lying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/political-freedom-without-economic-equality-is-a-pretense-a-fraud-a/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [The greatest country, the richest country, is not that which has the most capitalists, monopolists, immense grabbings, vast fortunes, with its sad, sad soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-greatest-country-the-richest-country-is-not-that-which-has-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) [Browse all 42 Economic equality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-equality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the post-war era as a model, they are not doing so in the name of prosperity, or even “shared prosperity,” but economic equality—equality as an end in itself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Watkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-hold-up-the-post-war-era-as-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Economic equality" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-hold-up-the-post-war-era-as-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/don-watkins-23222_wealth_when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-h_1609901.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold up the post-war era as a model, they are not doing so in the…” — Don Watkins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Don Watkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-watkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When inequality alarmists like Krugman hold...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-hold-up-the-post-war-era-as-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-watkins/when-inequality-alarmists-like-krugman-hold-up-the-post-war-era-as-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```