Thomas Piketty is Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics. He is the author of numerous articles published in journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Political Economy, the American Economic Review and the Review of Economic Studies, and of a dozen books. He has done major historical and theoretical work on the interplay between economic development and the distribution of income and wealth. In particular, he is the initiator of the recent literature on the long run evolution of top income shares in national income (now available in the World Top Incomes Database). He is also the author of Capital in the 21st century. These works have led to radically question the optimistic relationship between development and inequality posited by Kuznets, and to emphasize the role of political and fiscal institutions in the historical evolution of income and wealth distribution.
Thomas Piketty
Featuring this expert
Beyond Borders: Global Justice & Economic Patriotism
What if billionaires paid their fair share—no matter where they lived?
Globalization, Populism, & the Politics of Resentment
How did hyper-globalization fuel populist backlash?
The Dignity Deficit: Inequality, Work, & Recognition
Thomas Piketty and Michael Sandel explore how inequality isn’t just about wealth—it’s about dignity. They discuss how economic structures fail to value workers without elite credentials and propose solutions that go beyond redistribution.
Quality of Life for Billions of People is at Stake
World-renowned economist and inequality researcher Thomas Piketty in conversation with Rob Johnson, about Piketty’s just-released book, A Brief History of Equality.