Thomas Piketty

📰 En Une du @lemonde.fr aujourd'hui :

"L'extrême concentration des richesses mondiales"

3 article à lire pour découvrir en avant-première Le Rapport sur les inégalités mondiales 2026

www.lemonde.fr/economie/art...

Racial Inequality and Redistribution in Post-Apartheid South Africa - WID - World Inequality Database Racial Inequality and Redistribution in Post-Apartheid South Africa The source for global inequality data. Open access, high quality wealth and income inequality data developed by an international aca...

South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world, with the top 10% earning 70% of all pretax income.

New study by A. Gethin & L. Czajka shows that inequality in 2019 was as high as in 1993.

Racial inequality reduced only because top 10% Black incomes surged.

▶️ wid.world/news-article...

🟢 Climate change hits the poorest the hardest shows *Chapter 2.1 of the 2025 #ClimateInequality Report*

⚠️The bottom 50% wil bear ¾ of all income losses from climate change by 2050.

Read more in the report 🔗 wid.world/news-article...

🎴NEW PAPER!🎴

Majorities in 11 HICs support:
✅Foreign aid
✅Debt relief for low-income countries (LICs)
✅An international carbon price financing a worldwide basic income
✅An international 2% tax on wealth above $1 million with 30% funding LICs
and much more.

bsky.app/profile/wid....
A 🧵⬇️

🔴 Over 500 economists, including WIL co-director @thomaspiketty.bsky.social, call on world leaders to set up an International Panel on Inequality, as recommended by the Extraordinary Committee's report to the #G20, led by @josephestiglitz.bsky.social

🔗Letter www.equals.ink/p/sign-on-le...

Le Pen’s RN has become the party of billionaires How can France break out of its political deadlock? First, by accepting the idea that democracy requires clear and accepted transfers of power to function properly. Always keeping the same people i…

Le Pen’s RN has become the party of billionaires
By voting to save the ultra-rich, the RN has clearly positioned itself as the party of billionaires, as a right-wing party on every level, much like Trump’s Republican Party
thomaspiketty.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/l...

Very important read ahead of #cop30 👇

The 2025 #ClimateInequality Report brings together pioneering research conducted by @wid.world and universities worldwide and was edited by @lucaschancel.bsky.social & @cmohren.bsky.social with inputs from @pbothe.bsky.social @stellamuti.bsky.social

Thx @wid.world's team and fellows!

Over the past 25 years, 200+ researchers worldwide have contributed to the World Inequality Database. While these data remain imperfect and provisional, the global picture of long-term changes in income and wealth distributions is now well established.
(9/9)

Global Justice Project - World Inequality Lab The Global Justice Project (GJP) aims to provide a platform to stimulate research, policymaking, and citizen engagement to shape a fairer, more democratic and sustainable 21st century.

(8/9)
Our interpretation of these long-run findings is that the rise of inclusive, social-democratic institutions has been central to achieving both greater equality and higher prosperity.

More findings coming in the #GlobalJusticeProject, June 2026.
inequalitylab.world/en/global-ju...

7/9
If we look at wealth inequality, we see that it has always been extremely high, with the bottom 50% holding only a tiny share of total wealth. Despite this, there has been a significant long-run movement toward greater wealth equality in rich countries, particularly in Western and Nordic Europe.

(6/9)
Our study compares Europe and the United States and challenges the widespread belief that rising inequality in the US since the 1980s has fueled innovation and productivity, especially in high-tech sectors. In fact, we find the opposite.

(5/9)
If we take Nordic Europe (1990)as a benchmark for equality, and aim even higher, we can envision a world where the gap between top and bottom incomes falls to 3–5× by 2100, versus 50-160 today.

(4/9)
Other inequality indicators tell the same story.

A century ago, the richest 0.1% earned 150–250× more than low-income earners in Europe. Today, that gap is down to 8–15× in Sweden, Denmark, Norway & the Netherlands — and 15–20× in Germany, France & Britain.

A striking drop in inequality.

3/9 All rich countries—especially in Western and Nordic Europe—have undergone an enormous compression of income scales during the 20th century, while becoming significantly more productive.In Nordic Europe, the bottom posttax 50% share rose from little more than 15% in 1910 to almost 40% in 1980-90.

Home - WID - World Inequality Database Home The source for global inequality data. Open access, high quality wealth and income inequality data developed by an international academic consortium.

(2/9)
Our new study uses wid.world data (1800–2025)and new global series on productivity and human capital to revisit how the relationship between equality and development has evolved across time and space – a central question for economists, policymakers, and citizens alike.

There is a strong positive association between equality and development over the long run — that's what this new study based on our historical series available on wid.world is clearly showing.

Key findings in thread 🧵(1/9)👇

Upward mobility is primarily driven by labor income but almost never by capital alone - WID - World Inequality Database Upward mobility is primarily driven by labor income but almost never by capital alone This paper studies the dynamics of capital and labor income mobility using high-quality register data from Norway.

Do individuals move ⤴️ or⤵️ the income ladder because of jumps in labor or capital income, or both?

👉Upward mobility is primarily driven by labor income but almost never by capital alone, find @marcoranaldi.bsky.social @joelliambuehler.bsky.social @robertoiacono.org

▶️ wid.world/news-article...

Sciences humaines Énergie et inégalités, Lucas Chancel : Pourquoi l’histoire de l’énergie est-elle intimement liée à celle des inégalités sociales ? Comment penser...

Félicitations @lucaschancel.bsky.social pour ce livre magnifique

Il est impossible de faire face à nos défis climatiques sans repenser fondamentalement la structure des inégalités et de la propriété: qui possède l'énergie et pour quoi faire

www.seuil.com/ouvrage/ener...

Rethinking world trade
When setting tariffs, Trump has followed a narrowly nationalist and rather chaotic logic. The opposite approach is needed: Tariffs should be set based on universal and predictable principles.
www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty...

Lucas Chancel, économiste : « Seule la socialisation de l’énergie peut éviter aux Européens une vassalisation » Dans un entretien au « Monde », le professeur à Sciences Po estime que la reprise de contrôle du secteur énergétique par les citoyens permettrait de mieux lutter contre les crises climatiques et démoc...

www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

Nouvelle étude de @yajnagovind.bsky.social @paolosantini.bsky.social & E. Derenoncourt confirme l’importance du facteur discriminatoire sur le marché du travail en 🇫🇷. Les minorités racisées subissent de fortes pénalités salariales. Être né.e en France réduit ces écarts, sans les faire disparaître.

From trade wars to @un.org talks, global tax cooperation is at stake.
Oct 2, Paris, #ICRICT Commissioners, policymakers & civil society debate how to build a fairer international tax system amid great-power rivalry.
⏰6–8PM
📍Paris School of Economics
Inscriptions: shorturl.at/I6Kvp
#TaxThePower

Panel 1: Who Shapes the Rules? Trade Wars, Tax Battles and the Future of Global Governance (50 min) - 2 rounds of questions (40 min.) and (10 min.) of Q&A. International taxation is no longer a technocratic issue—it is caught in the crossfire of global power struggles. With the return of Trump, the U.S. is once again using tariffs and trade threats to dismantle Digital Services Taxes (DSTs) abroad, as well as the minimum tax on multinational corporations, defending its tech giants while undermining multilateral negotiations. This panel will examine how the weaponization of trade policy intersects with ongoing processes on international tax reform—from the OECD/G20 to the United Nations—raising fundamental questions about sovereignty, fairness, and the balance of power in global governance. Speakers will reflect on what is at stake: whether unilateralism and trade wars will derail efforts to build a fairer international tax system and what pathways exist toward an inclusive and equitable framework that can withstand great-power politics. Moderator: Victor Goury-Laffont (POLITICO). Joseph Stiglitz, ICRICT Co-Chair . Manon Aubry, Co-chair of the Left Group in the European Parliament Member of the ECON and FISC committees. Valérie Hayer, Présidente de Renew Europe au Parlement européen. Break and change of panel. Shaping the Future of International Tax Cooperation 3 7:05-7:50 PM 7:50-8:00 PM Panel 2: Negotiating the details: Key elements of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (45 min). Building on the political discussion, this panel will take a closer look at the concrete elements under negotiation in the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation and its early protocols on taxation of cross-border services and dispute prevention and resolution. Experts will examine proposals on the table, alternative measures advanced by different countries and regions, and the contrasting realities betwee…

Intl' taxation is caught in great power struggles, as Donald Trump attempts to dismantle digital services & global minimum taxes.
Join @josephestiglitz.bsky.social @thomaspiketty.bsky.social
@manonaubryfr.bsky.social & Valerie Hayer, on Oct 2!
📍@pse.bsky.social
⏰6 PM
Register: shorturl.at/I6Kvp

Thomas Piketty on global inequality | LSE Events 3.30pm Fri 19 Sept | Thomas Piketty | Ticket Required | Free public event at LSE

Don't miss tomorrow's event with @thomaspiketty.bsky.social on global #inequality including preliminary results from the #GlobalJusticeProject.

📍In-person and online public event

🎟️ Registration www.lse.ac.uk/events/globa...
@lsepress.bsky.social

📆 Save the date: the 3rd edition of the World Inequality Conference will take place on 4–5 June 2026 at Paris School of Economics @pse.bsky.social

The call for papers is open until December 1.

🔗 More details & submission: inequalitylab.world/en/event/wor...

Global Justice Project - World Inequality Lab The Global Justice Project (GJP) aims to provide a platform to stimulate research, policymaking, and citizen engagement to shape a fairer, more democratic and sustainable 21st century.

This study has many other findings but also limitations and we welcome constructive comments to continue building the #GlobalJustice Project inequalitylab.world/en/global-ju...

3️⃣ Over the long run, public-private splits varied widely. 19th-century Britain had huge negative public wealth (250–300% of GDP). The US also showed negative wealth in the late 20th/early 21st century, mostly foreign. By contrast, China today has substantial positive public wealth.

2️⃣ Private wealth is at record highs in all advanced regions.
Public wealth, by contrast, has declined to turn negative in North America, fall near zero in Europe, while East Asia has stabilized with 25-30% of national wealth in public hands.

1️⃣ Wealth has risen much faster than income since 1980.

Global wealth-income ratios have risen dramatically from about 390% of world net domestic product in 1980 to over 625% in 2025. This surge reflects both higher savings and strong capital gains, especially in housing and equity markets.

Our new study shows that the Kaldor’s stability claim does not hold at the global level.

Large historical and regional variations exist, that are shaped less by technology or pure economics than by institutions, ideology, and power relations.

Below are 3 key findings from the study👇