A note: The capital-income ratio is measured as the ratio of a nation's wealth to its income. "Wealth" and "capital" are used somewhat interchangeably in the book since they both comprise the various assets in an economy. Not surprisingly, the recent (fifty-year) upward spike in returns to capital relative to labor-and the causes of it-have sparked fierce debate.

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What would you consider to be the most important reasons for this change over time?