Intro -- Contents -- Preface to the New Edition -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Why Study Top Incomes? -- Part One: The Evolution of Income Inequality in France in the Twentieth Century -- 1. A Fivefold Increase in "Average" Purchasing Power in the Twentieth Century -- 2. The Evolution of...

Taxes and cash transfers reduce income inequality more in France than elsewhere in the OECD, because of the large size of the flows involved. But the system is complex overall. Its effectiveness could be enhanced in many ways, for example so as to achieve the same amount of redistribution at...

A landmark in contemporary social science, this pioneering work by Thomas Piketty explains the facts and dynamics of income inequality in France in the twentieth century. On its publication in French in 2001, it helped launch the international program led by Piketty and others to explore the...

"If there was any question before, there is no longer a question today: inequality, discrimination, poverty, and mobility are prominent national issues. The notion of "The American Dream" has been sold to generations of young Americans as the idea that working hard and following your dreams will...