The United States could transform its property tax system into a progressive tax on net worth without asking permission to the rest of the world. Thomas Piketty More Quotes by Thomas Piketty More Quotes From Thomas Piketty The principal mechanism for convergence at the international as well as the domestic level is the diffusion of knowledge. Thomas Piketty diffusion wells levels I am not political. It is not my job. But I would be happy if politicians could read my work and draw some conclusions from it. Thomas Piketty political would-be jobs The U.S. is the country that invented progressive taxation of income and of inherited wealth in the 1910s and 20s. Thomas Piketty progressive-taxation income country I loved American universities. In many ways, they are better organized - certainly than French universities. Thomas Piketty american-universities university way Without precisely defined sources, methods, and concepts, it is possible to see absolutely everything and its opposite. Thomas Piketty method source opposites It's not Utopian to believe that we can create a global registry of financial assets so we know who owns what in different countries. Thomas Piketty different believe country Democracy will never be supplanted by a republic of experts—and that is a very good thing. Thomas Piketty republic democracy experts Das Kapital, I think, is very difficult to read, and for me, it was not very influential. Thomas Piketty influential difficult thinking We know too little about global wealth dynamics, so we need international transmission of bank information. Thomas Piketty dynamics littles needs I refuse this nomination because I don't think it's up to a government to say who is honorable, they would do better to focus on reviving growth in France and Europe. Thomas Piketty people There is a degree of improvisation in Francois Hollande's economic policy that is appalling. Thomas Piketty people Capitalism and market forces are very powerful in producing wealth and innovation. But we need to ensure that these forces act in the common interest. Thomas Piketty capitalism wealth innovation powerful I am afraid that if you don't find peaceful domestic solutions to our inequality and social problems, then it's always tempting to find other people responsible for our problems. Thomas Piketty i-am problems you people What I argue for is a progressive tax, a global tax, based on the taxation of private property. Thomas Piketty global tax property progressive My premise is not to tax to destroy the wealth of the wealthy; it's to increase the wealth of the bottom and the middle class. Thomas Piketty destroy middle-class wealth class The main force pushing toward reduction in inequality has always been the diffusion of knowledge and the diffusion of education. Thomas Piketty always inequality education knowledge You need some inequality to grow... but extreme inequality is not only useless but can be harmful to growth because it reduces mobility and can lead to political capture of our democratic institutions. Thomas Piketty grow you growth political Economists should be modest and be aware that they are part of the broader social science community. We need to be pragmatic about the methods we use. When we need to do history, we should do history. When we need to study political science, we should study political science. Thomas Piketty political community science history What I'm pushing for is an economic discipline that will be closer to other social sciences; in particular, we should be more pragmatic about the methods that we are using instead of pretending that we have our own scientific apparatus with very sophisticated mathematic models that distinguish us from sociologists and historians. Thomas Piketty own will pretending discipline Private property and the market system are good not only to promote innovation and to promote growth; private property and the market system are good for our personal freedom. Thomas Piketty good innovation growth freedom
