The Legion of Honor? Thomas Piketty Refuses
Sometimes an award means more to the giver than the recipient. That is probably the case with the French government’s decision to give the Legion of Honor to Thomas Piketty, the economist and author of the critically acclaimed book about inequality, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” who says he doesn’t want the award.
.. Mr. Piketty says it is not “the government’s role to decide who is honorable.”
.. As much as political leaders might think that official awards are about honoring achievement, they’re also about sharing in reflected glory. In this case, Mr. Piketty doesn’t seem to want to share.