PositiveThe Guardian (UK)This is a VIB – very important book. Nearly everyone agrees about that ... Uncovering and bringing together this data for the US and a handful of other countries using tax returns is a major achievement, which some say merits a Nobel prize on its own ... Many people are worried about the slow rate of growth in the developed economies since the financial crisis in 2008. Many are also worried about rising inequality. At first glance, Capital seems to offer an elegant way to explain both. But, by [Piketty\'s] own admission, the world is a lot more complicated than talk of a \'central contradiction to capitalism\' might suggest. So is the relationship between capital accumulation and growth ... Piketty deserves huge credit for kickstarting a debate about inequality and illuminating the distribution of income and wealth. But when it comes to the forces driving growth and wealth accumulation in our modern economy what he has probably done most to bring out into the open is our collective ignorance and confusion.
