French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down his home country’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur. “I have just learned that I was nominated for the Legion D’Honneur,” said Piketty, whose bestselling book, Capital in the 21st Century, examines income inequality. “I refuse this nomination because I do not think it is the government’s role to decide who is honorable. They would do better to concentrate on reviving [economic] growth in France and Europe.”
