Nancy R. Folbre, emerita professor of economics, has written a new paper where she challenges fellow economist Gregory Mankiw who was an advisor to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and says the rich deserve to be rich because they contribute more to society than others. Folbre argues that the rich enjoy unfair advantages and that external factors play a large role in whether an individual succeeds or fails. She also says the open labor market doesn’t necessarily deliver equitable or efficient outcomes for workers, even highly trained ones. (Business Insider, 10/5/16)