Thomas Piketty

The share of global wealth of the world's richest people soared at a record pace during the Covid pandemic, a report on inequality showed on Dec. 7.    

Since 1995, the slice held by billionaires has risen from one percent to three percent, according to the World Inequality Report.    

According to the World Economic Forum, the global economy is more than five times larger than it was half a century ago.

Global per capita GDP has more than doubled over the same period. The World Bank estimates that the share of the global population living in extreme poverty has fallen below 10 percent for the first time ever.

A reader asked me not to write about ?useless topics? such as summer book recommendations, the relationship between democracy and growth and the economics of weed or love- and ?show him the money? instead. As your friendly neighborhood economist, I am happy to oblige.

Renowned economists Thomas Piketty, Jeffrey Sachs and three others urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 7 to agree to cut Greece's debt to "avoid further disaster".    

By Xenia Kounalaki

?It was great. There were people jumping up and down,? said the young American journalist, one of an estimated 800 people working for the foreign press who came to Athens to cover Greece?s national election. She was describing the scene when newly elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras?s gave his first speech.

France's influential economist Thomas Piketty, author of the bestseller "Capital in the 21st Century", on Thursday refused to accept the country's highest award, the Legion d'honneur, to criticise the Socialist government in power.
      

 Acclaimed French economist warns of risks if eurozone countries do not demonstrate that they want to stay together

By Xenia Kounalaki

Wealth inequality is particularly worrying for countries like Brazil, China or Turkey, which are home to more billionaires than Japan, says famous French economist Thomas Piketty Wealth inequality, capital flight, tax evasion and a lack of financial transparency are issues that are particularly worrying for countries like Turkey, Brazil and China, according to economist and author Thomas Piket