Code of Capital

<p><b>A compelling explanation of how the law shapes the distribution of wealth</b> <p/>What is it that transforms a simple object an idea or a promise to pay into an asset that creates wealth? Katharina Pistor explains how behind closed doors in the offices of private attorneys capital is created--and why this little-known activity is one of the biggest reasons for the widening wealth gap between the holders of capital and everybody else. A powerful new way of thinking about one of the most pernicious problems of our time <i>The Code of Capital</i> explores the various ways that debt complex financial products and other assets are selectively coded to protect and reproduce private wealth. This provocative book paints a troubling portrait of the pervasive global nature of the code the people who shape it and the governments that enforce it.</p>