The phenomenal success of a new book by a previously obscure French economist has spurred a worldwide debate on the causes of inequality. Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-first Century is a book thick with data and complex analysis: his central insight is that because the return on investment for existing wealth is usually greater than the growth rate of the economy as a whole, the rich get a lot richer than everyone else.
Joining Tom Clark to discuss this are Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, economist and political writer Andrew Lilico and Richard Wilkinson, author of The Spirit Level.
Also this week: Henry McDonald reports on an extraordinary development in Northern Ireland as Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is arrested in connection with a notorious murder during the Troubles in 1972. Adams, who offered himself for questioning, denies any involvement with the murder of Jean McConville, a mother of ten who was killed by the IRA.
