It is easy to complain about modern capitalism. It is not so easy to offer a real alternative — and when critics of the western economic order, from Thomas Piketty to comedian-turned-revolutionary Russell Brand, fail to do so they are often dismissed. Perhaps we (or they) have been asking the wrong question.
There may be no proven alternative to capitalism writ large. But there are stark choices, nonetheless, for there are different kinds of capitalism. What makes many people uneasy is that Anglo-Saxon capitalism is heading towards a plutocratic model. The economy is run by the rich for the rich.
It is corporate executives — not sports people, celebrities or creatives — who dominate the ranks of the top earners. In 2013, the average chief executive in the US earned $11.7m, 331 times the average US worker.