This paper is about “Capital in the Twenty-first Century” by Thomas Piketty. It identifies his central macroeconomic claims and examines them, arguing that the contentions are theoretically and empirically unwarranted.

Chapter 1: Introduction: What Are Common Wealth Dividends (CWDs)? -- Chapter 2:. Thomas Paine and the Perennial Problem of Land Reform -- Chapter 3: CWDs as Applied to Natural Resources -- Chapter 4: CWD as Applied to Ecosystem Services -- Chapter 5: Common Wealth Dividends in Theory and Practice.

Common wealth dividends are universal cash payments funded by fees on the private use of common resources like land, minerals, and the atmosphere as a carbon sink. Thomas Paine's 1797 pamphlet Agrarian Justice and Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend are staples in the literature on Basic Income,...