top of page
Search

French economist Thomas Piketty refuses legion of honor

  • Jan 2, 2015
  • 1 min read

French economist Thomas Piketty, author of the best-selling 700-page book on inequality and wealth, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” has turned down the Legion of Honor, saying the government should focus on reviving the country’s anemic economy rather than “decide who is honorable.”

Mr. Piketty’s refusal of one of France’s highest distinctions—announced via a short declaration to the Agence France-Presse news agency—is a snub to the government a day after President François Hollande cited the global influence of French scholars as evidence of the country’s unfailing might.

Mr. Hollande’s spokesman said the president had no comment on Mr. Piketty’s move. The 43-year-old economist confirmed his decision in an email on Friday.

Lobbying for a complete overhaul of France’s tax system, Mr. Piketty supported Mr. Hollande in the 2012 presidential race, in which the Socialist defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Since then, however, the economist has openly criticized Mr. Hollande’s government.

Recent Posts

See All
The Concept of Western Azerbaijan

Pan-Turkism is a political movement which emerged during the 1880s among Turkic intellectuals of the Russian region of Shirvan (now central Azerbaijan) and the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey). The

 
 
 
Operation Ring

Operation Ring, known in Azerbaijan as the Chaykend Operation, was the codename for the May 1991 military operation conducted by Soviet Internal Security Forces and OMON units in the Armenian populate

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page