The Great Leveler
Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century
by:
Walter Scheidel
in:
Ancient History
Summary:
The book examines the historical patterns of economic inequality, arguing that significant reductions in inequality have only ever been brought about by catastrophic events such as wars, revolutions, state collapse, and pandemics, which the author terms "the Four Horsemen." It presents a sweeping analysis of the dynamics that drive inequality and the drastic measures that have flattened it throughout human history.
Key points:
1. The "Four Horsemen" of Leveling: Scheidel identifies war, revolution, state collapse, and plagues as major forces that historically reduce inequality, likening them to the apocalyptic figures in the Bible.
Books similar to "The Great Leveler":
The Price of Inequality
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Capital and Ideology
Thomas Piketty
99 to 1
Chuck Collins
A Brief History of Equality
Thomas Piketty
The Great Divide
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality
Era Dabla-Norris|Kalpana Kochhar|Nujin Suphaphiphat
The Meritocracy Trap
Daniel Markovits
The Economics of Inequality
Thomas Piketty
The System
Robert B. Reich
The Spirit Level
Richard Wilkinson|Kate Pickett