Inequality between world citizens in mid-19th century was such that at least a half of it could be explained by income differences between workers and capital-owners in individual countries. Real income of workers in most countries was similar and low. This was the basis on which Marxism built...

"Today's inequality discourse has a fascinating and illuminating 300-year history. Branko Milanovic describes the evolution of the idea of inequality through portraits of six key economists, from Quesnay to Kuznets. In their work and lives, we see the rise and consolidation of the theory of...