(In)equality in the Past and in the Future. A View by the Authors of “the Most Influential Books on Economic History in the New Millennium”

Abstract

The Paris School of Economics and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales organized a roundtable in May 2023 to discuss the books The Great Divergence by Kenneth Pomeranz and Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty. According to the organizers of the discussion, these are two of the most influential books on economic history of the new millennium, offering complementary perspectives with a focus on national economic differentiation and social inequality. We present an analytical overview of the discussion by a participant of that meeting — Ivan Smekalin.