Capital in the Twenty-First Century

By: Thomas Piketty, Arthur Goldhammer - translator

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from 20 countries, ranging as far back as the 18th century, to uncover key economic and social patterns. His findings will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.

Piketty shows that modern economic growth and the diffusion of knowledge have allowed us to avoid inequalities on the apocalyptic scale predicted by Karl Marx. But we have not modified the deep structures of capital and inequality as much as we thought in the optimistic decades following World War II. The main driver of inequality - the tendency of returns on capital to exceed the rate of economic growth - today threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values. But economic trends are not acts of God. Political action has curbed dangerous inequalities in the past, Piketty says, and may do so again.

A work of extraordinary ambition, originality, and rigor, Capital in the Twenty-First Century reorients our understanding of economic history and confronts us with sobering lessons for today.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2014 the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"L.J. Ganser's voice and accents are superb, and emphasis is well placed." ( AudioFile)

Rigorous. Very indepth. Very important

Enjoyed the book. Sometimes very rigourous. The fundamental argument on equalization through a global tax on wealth is probably the best option in reducing inequality, and in turn also better supporting the social state is a powerful one.

Not sure if he needed a full 25 hours to explain

Worth the read, although the author seems to purposely use extra words to explain.. I don't think he intended this book for the average person, more geared towards other economist. I could be wrong, I just feel like anything and everything you want to say, should be reader friendly or should be able to be explained to a child.. This book is also a little repetitive. The key thing I got out of this book was, the wealthiest people have a huge advantage with compounded interest, than the average person.. Worth the read, but not a book I would read twice.

Great Book! no less than Paradigm-Shifting

All citizens should take a serious interest in Money, its measurement, the facts surrounding it, and its history. Those who have a lot of it never fail to defend their interest. Refusing to deal with numbers rarely serves the interest of the least well-off. -Thomas Piketty.

Enlightened

Definitely a different viewpoint. It also offers some solutions that are practical as well. Most modern studies focus on income but rather we should focus on wealth as the book suggests

Too much data

I bought this book because of all the hype surrounding it. I imagined it being the definitive book on the past, present, and future of capital.

The book made some good points, e.g. the advantages of inherited wealth. However, the bombardment of data, most of which should have just been part of an appendix, dominated too much of the body of the book.

I am not a professional economist, I'm simply someone with an interest in the subject. Therefore, my opinion should not bear much weight, but I personally would not recommend this book.

If anyone has a recommendation for a book on capital that I may appreciate better, then please let me know. Also, if there were some key findings in this book that I may have overlooked, please share with me as well. Thank you.

Great insight in today's business world

A fresh look at the increase of income equality in today's world, why it occurred and what we can do to solve the issue.

Move over Karl Marx

Piketty’s Capital exercises economic language so that I can begin to have glimpses of a real, not just a philosophical vision for a human future, whose benefits must address both individual and social aspirations.

Outstanding work!

Outstanding work and vitally important. I learned so much. This needs to be required reading for students of economics, politics, and business

Powerfully argued

Great historical review and look at where the world might be headed. Made me think.

heading is required

I need to write at least 15 words to make a rating. even though I'm mostly rating for myself.