Some articles on Piketty's book
April 28, 2014
CNN asserts Piketty's book is "A 700-page economics tome about income inequality [that] isn't an obvious hit" and the Washington Post describes it as an "unlikely bestseller". (I'll give you three guesses why it is a bestseller.)
Here are some of the most interesting articles about it I've seen:
Tyler Cowen's review. Tyler also comments, "These are old issues people, and there are no simple answers. A lot of the current discussion is in fact moving the debate backwards from where it had been decades ago." Ya gotta love macro.
Clive Crook, "The Most Important Book Ever Is All Wrong".
Megan McArdle, "Piketty's Tax Hikes Won't Help the Middle Class".
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, "The Systematic Errors In Thomas Piketty's New Book".
Stephen Moore, "The Left's Advice Would Bring A Second Great Depression".
Finally, a list of further links: Dan Hirschman, "Piketty’s 'Capital', Link Round-Up".
UPDATE: I have to include today's Kyle Smith piece, "This ‘ridiculously far-left’ economist is candy for liberals" which includes wonderful bits like this:
The No. 1 bestselling book on Amazon last week wasn’t about plucky teen girls battling for humanity in a futuristic dystopia. It wasn’t about a boy wizard or a college student who likes to be tied up and spanked. . . .
So, yeah, there’s still only one road to the top of the Amazon bestseller list, and it’s sheer escapist fantasy, preferably aligned with adolescent magical thinking.
And Smith links to economist Justin Wolfers who provides two possible reasons why Piketty's book is popular in some places.