Sociology and political science in the patrimonial society: implications of Piketty's Capital

François Bonnet () and Clément Théry
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François Bonnet: PACTE - Pacte, Laboratoire de sciences sociales - UPMF - Université Pierre Mendès France - Grenoble 2 - UJF - Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 - IEPG - Sciences Po Grenoble - Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Clément Théry: Columbia University [New York]

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Abstract: What are the implications of Piketty's Capital for sociology and political science? Capital's argument focuses on the evolution of the r/g ratio (capital returns over growth rate) and outlines two modes of economic inequalities. One is characteristic of affluent (g > r) societies and the other is characteristic of patrimonial (r > g) societies. With the current return to a patrimonial society, corporations become political actors; occupational status and education's relevance are declining; the meaning of poverty is transformed, and welfare and punishment become interdependent means to social order; in politics, elitist theories gain traction; immigration is less about assimilation, and more about transnationalism and nationalist politics. We show that some theories are more relevant in an affluent society, and others are more adequate to a patrimonial society.

Keywords: inequality; capitalism; corporate governance; education; social structure; power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-08-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-hme, nep-hpe and nep-pol
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