Over a long period of time, the main force in favor of greater equality has been the diffusion of knowledge and skills.

The democratic ideal has always been related to a moderate level of inequality. I think one big reason why electoral democracy flourished in 19th century America better than 19th century Europe is because you had more equal distribution of wealth in America.

There is one great advantage to being an academic economist in France: here, economists are not highly respected in the academic and intellectual world or by political and financial elites. Hence they must set aside their contempt for other disciplines and their absurd claim to greater scientific legitimacy, despite the fact that they know almost nothing about anything.

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.

We want capitalism and market forces to be the slave of democracy rather than the opposite.

Over a long period of time, the main force in favor of greater equality has been the diffusion of knowledge and skills.

Contrary to a tenacious myth, France is not owned by California pension funds or the Bank of China, any more than the United States belongs to Japanese and German investors. The fear of getting into such a predicament is so strong today that fantasy often outstrips reality. The reality is that inequality with respect to capital is a far greater domestic issue than it is an international one.