Caviot: I think the rise in labor inequality is grossly overstated because of demographic changes. And as result, when we see that trend, it overstates the actual trend. But this point of view ignores the fact that there are so many other important determinants of inequality then our minasty. Se canicanee le: The focus on r minus g is might sort of involve throwing the baby with the bath water. He says if you take account of them, but think they're not, they're not a big deal.
Daron Acemoglu, the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his new paper co-authored with James Robinson, "The Rise and Fall of General Laws of Capitalism," a critique of Thomas Piketty, Karl Marx, and other thinkers who have tried to explain patterns of data as inevitable "laws" without regard to institutions. Acemoglu and Roberts also discuss labor unions, labor markets, and inequality.