PERC Webinar on Rentier Capitalism: Brett Christophers in conversation with Will Davies

In this event, hosted by PERC on 8 Dec 2020, Brett Christophers joined PERC Director Will Davies to discuss his new book Rentier Capitalism. How have economies such as Britain’s become so unequal? Christophers shows that a fundamental driver is the rise of rent-seeking, in which ownership of key types of scarce assets - land, intellectual property, natural resources, digital platforms - is dominated by a few unfathomably wealthy companies and individuals. Profits grow increasingly linked to having rather than doing. With profound lessons for other countries subject to rentier dominance, Christophers’ examination of the UK case is indispensable to those wanting not just to understand this insidious economic phenomenon but to overcome it.

[@JockCoats]

The "professions" are themselves rentier industries, with powerful highly connected "gatekeepers" preserving the monopoly of their charters etc.

[@billsykes5392]

Excellent discussion.