Desigualdad, propiedad privada y pensamiento económico en el largo plazo

Abstract

The current interest about inequality, heightened as a consequence of the economic crisis, is not new among authors linked to the History of Western Economic Thought. This study explores the views that leading authors of economic thought have held about inequality from Antiquity to our days. In particular, the paper is an attempt to establish a link between inequality and the triumph of private property in Western economic systems in the long term. Through the analysis of original texts and previous works of specialists in the field of economic thought, the study shows a relationship, more or less evident, between both aspects. Although criticism against the consolidation of private property and the existence of inequality abound, the former has been fully accepted and integrated into contemporary economic systems and therefore there is hardly any debate or questioning about it. On the other hand, inequality offers a different outlook. While accepting its presence as a fact, inequality generates great interest among the academy, whose members defend diverse positions regarding its origin, its evolution and today’s level of inequality. The debate on inequality, far from being exhausted, is an attractive proposal for future research and reflection.