Books Quote by Jane Mayer
““Thomas Piketty, an economist at the Paris School of Economics, warned in his zeitgeist-shifting book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, that without aggressive government intervention economic inequality in the United States and elsewhere was likely to rise inexorably, to the point where the small portion of the population that currently held a growing slice of the world’s wealth would in the foreseeable future own not just a quarter, or a third, but perhaps half of the globe’s wealth, or more. He predicted that the fortunes of those with great wealth, and their inheritors, would increase at a faster rate of return than the rate at which wages would grow, creating what he called “patrimonial capitalism.” This dynamic, he predicted, would widen the growing chasm between the haves and the have-nots to levels mimicking the aristocracies of old Europe and banana republics.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Dark Money, Jane Mayer, 2016
A warning that unchecked wealth concentration can create a new aristocracy, deepening inequality.
In simple terms: Wealth concentration threatens equality.
Key Takeaway
Address systemic inequality now.
Themes
economics
inequality
politics
wealth concentration
Mood
concerned
urgent
Type
analytical
political
When to use this quote
- Policy reform
- taxation
- wealth redistribution
- public awareness
- activism
Key Concepts
Capitalism
patrimonial capitalism
social stratification
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies could curb extreme wealth gaps?
- How does wealth affect democratic processes?
A Different Perspective
Political resistance can stall reforms.
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