Morlock Elloi on Fri, 30 Mar 2018 19:09:29 +0200 (CEST)


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<nettime> The other cleavage


Piketty analyses the rise of multiple-elite systems in "Brahmin Left vs Merchant Right: Rising Inequality & the Changing Structure of Political Conflict (Evidence from France, Britain and the US, 1948-2017)" - full paper at http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/Piketty2018.pdf

and concludes with:

"It would be naïve however to imagine that universal suffrage in itself has permanently brought a different type of equilibrium. Unequal access to political finance, medias and influence can contribute to keep electoral politics under the control of elites. The class-based party system that emerged in the mid-20th century was due to specific historical circumstances, and proved to be fragile as social and economic structures evolved. Without a strong and convincing egalitarian- internationalist platform, it is inherently difficult to unite low-education, low-income voters from all origins within the same party."

It's a long paper, rather boring as it sticks to the observable reality and refuses to offer the easy way out, but shorter than "Capital in the 21st century".

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