Superrika och jämlika : hur kapital och ägande lyfter alla

by Daniel Waldenström

För länge sedan fanns prinsar och bönder, och mycket få däremellan. Klyftorna mellan rika och fattiga finns fortfarande kvar i vårt samhälle, men den stora berättelsen är en annan. Idag är vi rikare än någonsin tidigare – och trots ett stigande antal miljardärer också jämlikare.

I Superrika och jämlika berättas en ny historia om denna fascinerande historiska utveckling, och en riktning pekas ut för framtiden: Vägen mot jämlikhet handlar inte främst om att beskatta framgångsrika entreprenörer – utan om att tvärtom göra det möjligt för fler att bygga en privat förmögenhet.

Daniel Waldenström är professor i ekonomi vid Institutet för Näringslivsforskning, där han leder forskningsprogrammet Skatter och samhälle. Tidigare har han undervisat vid Uppsala universitet, Paris School of Economics och UCLA. Hans forskning handlar om ekonomisk ojämlikhet, finanspolitik och ekonomisk historia.

Genres: Economics, History, Nonfiction

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Jonathan Ahlström · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andra boken jag läser som substitut för att läsa NEK. Mer Piketty-bashing! Men jag vill ge den minuspoäng för sitt väldigt tråkiga omslag. Ser ut som en självhjälpsbok

[Anton · Rating 2 out of 5]

En hel del intressant fakta om vår ekonomi men jag köper inte tesen alls. Argumenten och datan presenteras ohederligt och känns inte som om det är applicerbart alls för att blicka framåt. Full recension i avsnitt 45 av Boktokiga.

[Diego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waldenstrom tries to dismantle what he calls Piketty and Co.'s outdated narrative about the evolution of inequality since the 19th century. He argues that we are today more equal than at any point in the past. However, there are several issues with this argument. For instance, the data he shows, more than disproving Piketty, show the same overall trend, thus enhancing the "outdated" narrative.

One strong point of the book is its policy orientation, something that economic historians often forget. I should say that, in general, the policy recommendations are sound: enact policies that enhance house ownership, promote access to financial instruments, invest in public pensions, opt for capital rather than wealth taxes, etc.

Waldenstrom argues that wealth democratization via pension funds and home ownership produced the great leveling of the 20th century, not wars and taxes. Economic growth, he claims, is the great leveling source. However, he fails to recognize that not all growth episodes achieve equalization, thus making generalizations that do not match empirical research. He claims that education, healthcare, and infrastructure are the real heroes. However, those things require public investment, thus financing tax revenues. In my opinion, this sloppiness in the arguments works against the author's goal in his crusade to promote a new narrative.

It is a good book, but it punches below its weight.

[Marc Sabatier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say 3.7. I am friendly to the argument, which is that wealth largely has become democratised over the 20th century, primarily due to homeownership and pension funds. This runs somewhat counter to Piketty, although much of the data points overlap.

I think the problem is a lack of theory or perhaps more parsimonious argument to explain why this is going on. Piketty had the influential r > g, that when rents grow faster than income, then wealth inequality becomes intractable. To my reading, Waldenström engages with some of the exisiting argument, but his book is primarily empirical. That's also great, and one learns a lot, but since a lot of the results are based on a narrow set of cases (US, UK, France and Sweden), and a lot is carried by studies of Swedish wealth history and data, one can't help but speculate on how well the argument travels through time and space.

That being said, the book distinguishes itself in having a very keen eye for policy, and stating what the implications of the empirical results are for existing scholarship (and hence policy-advice), and what the more appropriate policy-recommendations then are.

All in all, a short and efficient book that gets to the point, which definitely is a useful piece on your shelf the next time people uncritically state that wealth inequality has run amok.

[Pablo Paniagua Prieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It provides ample evidence showing how the world has become richer and more equal in the last century compared to the past. The book is a must-read for everyone interested in serious arguments about wealth inequality. The core findings of the book deeply challenge Piketty's thesis about inequality. It is a timely book to correct the distorted and ideologically laden narrative of wealth inequality during the 20th century.