Whether in the form of herds of animals, bars of gold, or tracks of developed land man has been concerned with the accumulation of wealth throughout history. In the 19th century, however, economists began to study the accumulation of wealth and its impact on the world more closely. From these studies arose some of the most famous and influential thinkers not only in the economic world but also in social and political thought. Probably the most famous work from this era of new economic thought was the great treatise penned by Karl Marx and Friederic Engels.
Since its publication in 1848 ‘The Communist Manifesto’ has gone on to shape and change the world in ways few other books could ever dream. While the influence of Marx and Engels can still be felt today the world of economic thought has evolved a great deal since its composition during the Industrial Revolution. One of the figures leading the progress of economic thought today is Thomas Piketty, Professor of economics at Paris School of Economics.
In his most recent book, ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’, Piketty looks at the history of wealth inequality in Europe and the United States since the 18th century and assesses what this tells us about the capitalist model and the implications for future growth and activity. Since its publication this work has caused a stir with its assertion that the inequality in wealth distribution and income should be tackled with a system of progressive taxation and wealth transfer on the global scale.
Looking back through history Thomas shows the emergence and rise of a wealthy elite up until the onset of the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’ this trend is once again on the rise and more and more of the world’s wealth is being concentrated in the hands of a small minority of people. Thomas asserts that this is an inherent symptom of capitalism which needs to be tempered by state intervention and taxation to avoid income inequality and a widening wealth gap.
One of the few books on economics to be named a ‘New York Times’ bestseller ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’ has received wide acclaim, both in the original French and the later English translation. Dubbed ‘the most important economics book of the year—and maybe of the decade’ this work is following the path tread by Marx and Engels and asks serious questions of capitalism and its worth for the world today. Join ‘Talking Books’ as Susan talks with Thomas Piketty and asks; has capitalism dug its own grave?
Susan with Dele Fatunla
Tomorrow sees Ireland celebrate Africa Day with events around the country highlighting the diverse and wonderful cultures from across the world’s second largest continent. While the world is familiar with figures like Wole Soyinka, the first person in Africa to be awarded the Noel Prize for Literature, and Chinua Achebe, author of ‘Things Fall Apart’, African writing is largely overlooked elsewhere in the world. In the second half of this week’s ‘Talking Books’ Susan will be talking a look at some of the great literature that has come out of Africa and some of authors writing there today.
In celebration of Port Harcourt being named as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 the Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club have launched the Africa39 Project. Gathering together 39 authors under the age of 40 this project hopes to bring world attention to the wonderful fiction being composed across Sub-Saharan Africa. Similar projects were run when Bogotá and Beirut were named UNESCO World Book Capital, bringing attention to the writers who it was believed would mark the development of literature in these regions. It is hoped that the Africa39 Project will meet with similar success.
Susan speaks with Dele Fatunla, author and communications co-ordinator for the Royal African Society, and Nana Ayebia, cofounder of Ayebia Clarke Publishing about who they consider to be the great African writers. Join ‘Talking Books’ as we celebrate some of the wonderful writing and amazing culture from the beautiful African continent. Who are Africa’s greatest writers and who are the names to look out for in the future?
