Due to high demand in our warehouse, your order may be delayed by a few days. Please also take into account delays in the printing service. Thank you for your patience!
with an
Acco share
you get a discount on Acco-titles, office supplies and selected titles.
Content
"In this masterly book, [Alfani] offers an insightful long-run perspective and fascinating lessons for the future. A must-read!"-Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyA sweeping narrative that shows how the rich historically justified themselves by helping their societies in times of crisis, why they no longer do, and what that may mean for social stabilityThe rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act 'as gods among men'; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds-despite the different paths to wealth in different eras-fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity.Alfani argues that the position of the rich and super-rich in Western society has always been intrinsically fragile; their very presence has inspired social unease. In the Middle Ages, an excessive accumulation of wealth was considered sinful; the rich were expected not to appear to be wealthy. Eventually, the rich were deemed useful when they used their wealth to help their communities in times of crisis. Yet in the twenty-first century, Alfani points out, the rich and the super-rich-their wealth largely preserved through the Great Recession and COVID-19-have been exceptionally reluctant to contribute to the common good in times of crisis, rejecting even such stopgap measures as temporary tax increases. History suggests that this is a troubling development-for the rich, and for everyone else.
Your email address has been noted. We will inform you when this item is available again.
Book condition
An important factor of a second-hand book is the condition of the book. The buyer may not be surprised. Always mention damages or defects. We use a system with 3 stars:
The book is acceptable: you have used it to study and made notes and markings – but everything is still readable. The cover and pages are in good condition.
The book still looks good: there are a few notes in it and you marked it. There are hardly any signs of use on the cover and pages
The book is (almost) new: you have not written or marked in it. There are no signs of use on the cover and pages
You need a code for this download
Your code is incorrect.
Log in
Not registered yet?
Create an account to buy or link an Acco share and buy your books and supplies at reduced rates.