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

François Bonnet (1) , Clément Théry (2)

1 PACTE - Pacte, Laboratoire de sciences sociales
2 Columbia University [New York]

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.

Mots clés: inequality; capitalism; corporate governance; education; social structure; power

Domaines: Sociologie; Economies et finances; Science politique

François Bonnet, Clément Théry. Sociology and political science in the patrimonial society: implications of Piketty's Capital. 2014. ⟨halshs-01060570⟩