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From the NC article:
One thing we miss in this process is that if ownership of wealth was equally distributed, it wouldn't matter whether r > g in terms of its impact in inequality. Or more precisely, institutional settings can be designed to combat any social force that concentrates wealth if we so desire, and if it is politically palatable.
I do not see a relation between these two statements. So we just need the institutions to concentrate on giving "r" to everyone? Firstly, that would be the ultimate acknowledgement that productive "g" is for fools, that "g" has to be exploited with meager reward. Someone has to produce more than "save" anyway. Secondly - Capitalism is then the ultimate casino, and we are forcefully invited to play.

Institutions could be designed and build to do any good - until they co-opted to do the opposite. The post-WWII institutions are failing for exactly this corruption reason.

by das monde on Thu Apr 24th, 2014 at 06:37:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
From what I have seen it would appear that r > g will be the bulldozer of economic history. The only way to control its push towards a patrimonial capitalist state is to reverse wealth disparity. It has happened before so, presumably, it can happen again. But it will be an uphill fight.  

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Apr 24th, 2014 at 07:38:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Perhaps the best tool to control the effects of r > g is public control over the creation of money, but that is only beneficial if the government is controlled by people operating in the interests of the majority of individuals, not the majority of wealth.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Apr 24th, 2014 at 07:42:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Actually, sustaining r>g needs a lot of institutional support. Enforcement of debt, rent, property relations is strongest ever - just think of copyright, intellectual property. Somehow "incompetent" governments, international institutions do an outstanding job here.

Unless the accounting apparatus will crumble by itself at some time, a social-political transformation is needed, it seems. Or some independence from the totalitarian financial interests (so to speak), democratization of basic economic, monetary relations.

by das monde on Fri Apr 25th, 2014 at 02:15:08 AM EST
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Ah, you beat me to it.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Fri Apr 25th, 2014 at 02:21:37 AM EST
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