He argues that inequality is good for growth - up to a point. But after that point, rising inequality means falling growth: “The few people with the skills or background to compete for the top jobs work hard”, according to Prof Freeman, “while everyone else coasts because they have little or no chance of reaching the top.” This argument makes a case for “optimal” inequality or, what some have called, “just-right inequality” - not too little, not too much. Not only is it a dynamic relationship, it’s also - according to many economists - determined by the particular “shape” of inequality in each society.