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Branko Milanovic Profile picture
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31 Oct, 4 tweets, 2 min read
This is a reasonably nice & short reading list for the study of ideological underpinnings of global inequality studies. (Am using it in my class.)
My thoughts prompted by Ch. Christiansen and S. Jensen’s excellent book "Histories of global inequalities".
brankomilanovic.substack.com/p/the-history-…
Review of Sebastian Conrad's "What is global history"
On Eurocentrism in economics
glineq.blogspot.com/2021/07/on-eur…
And of Samuel Moyn's excellent "Not Enough" (neoliberalism's combination of poverty research and democracy promotion)
From welfare in one country to global poverty alleviation...and now where?
branko2f7.substack.com/p/from-welfare…
and Quinn Slobodian's outstanding "Globalists"
Neoliberals in search of terrestrial empire
branko2f7.substack.com/p/globalists-n…

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More from @BrankoMilan

Branko Milanovic Profile picture
2 Nov
Long thread.
Some of you know that I am writing a book on how economists from Quesnay, to Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Pareto and Kuznets, and then those during the Cold War economics in East and West and in the Third World perceived & studied economic inequality. All chapters are fun.
When the Cold War chapter will be finished (title: The Eclipse) it will be super critical of neoclassics. (They better be worried :-) But it is not ready yet & for now I have drafts of the first 5 chapters, from Quesnay to Pareto. Given the current situation with travel, I would
prefer to present some chapters online now in order to get comments rather quickly than to wait for future hypothetical seminars.
The most difficult chapter to write (& probably the most controversial) is on Marx. Smith comes next. I had received written comments from 4 readers
Read 9 tweets
Branko Milanovic Profile picture
1 Nov
2020 is the first year since the mid-1980s that population-weighted inter-country inequality has not declined. In fact, it even increased marginally (see the blue line uptick). (All measured by GDPpc in international dollars.) Image
The result does not change if one uses Theil index instead of Gini. Image
It was the worst year after WW2 in terms of growth. World's per capita GDP decreased by 5% if weighted by countries' incomes (blue) or 4% if weighted by population (red). Image
Read 4 tweets
Branko Milanovic Profile picture
24 Oct
If your definition of economics is this:
"I would like to start with the one that I would have used when I was young and studied Marxist economics. Economics matters because it enables you to look at the grand political and economic changes in history and
to explain them using economic factors. In other words, it is, if I can say so, a branch of historical materialism. Decisions driven by economic factors shape societies and make them change."
Then you must read classics.
If your definition is this:
"A neoclassical view of economics would be more pragmatic. It would be to argue that economics matters - and to use Alfred Marshall’s definition there - because it deals with our ordinary life and its objective is to improve that ordinary life,
Read 6 tweets
Branko Milanovic Profile picture
22 Oct
I think these are 2 reasonable definitions of economics:
ageofeconomics.org/interviews/bra…
Q. Why does economics matter?
This is a huge and difficult question. Perhaps I can give two answers. I would like to start with the one that I would have used when I was young & studied Marxist econ.
Economics matters b/c it enables you to look at the grand political and economic changes in history and to explain them using economic factors. It is, if I can say so, a branch of historical materialism. Decisions driven by economic factors shape societies and make them change.
A neoclassical view of economics would be more pragmatic. It would be to argue that economics matters - and to use Alfred Marshall’s definition there - because it deals with our ordinary life and its objective is to improve that ordinary life, to make our incomes higher,
Read 4 tweets
Branko Milanovic Profile picture
15 Oct
Covers of "Capitalism, Alone".
Starting with the original and then going on. Image
English-language paperback: very nice. Image
French: very similar to the English paperback. I do not know if there was some mutual influence. Image
Read 14 tweets
Branko Milanovic Profile picture
28 Sep
Being against inequality has acquired a ritualistic or symbolic character. You just say that you are against inequality and so long as nobody does anything about it you can continue saying you are against. Life goes on as before.
Like in Christianity, when you were supposed to ritualistically denounce the devil. You do it & everything is the same.
But when somebody tries to check inequality, there are immediately problems. If China goes against Alibaba & Tencent, that's bad for innovation.
if it goes after corruption, it is political. If it bans for-profit tutoring, it will change nothing.
Same in the US. If Facebook or Google are broken up, the Chinese will take them over. If tax rates on capital are increased, nobody will invest.
Read 4 tweets

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