As a thought experiment, if one wanted to advantage labor over capital, then a durable way to do so would be to engineer a simultaneous labor shortage and a capital surplus. The amazing Silicon Valley employee perks of the 2010s were the product of such an environment.
Labor shortages can be induced by cutting supply: the Black Death was a famous example of this. More modern ways to do so could be reducing the birthrate or deporting able-bodied, working-age immigrants.
Capital surplus can occur if there is too much cash and not enough investment opportunities. Importing more rich people and printing money can accomplish the former. Low interest rates and technological stagnation can accomplish the latter. War is also an option: war profiteering is a poor investment since the losing side's investors often get their assets confiscated as loot or reparations.
One risk of this approach is that retirement becomes near-impossible. This is because retirees are capital holders: either directly via defined-contribution pensions or indirectly via annuities (defined-benefit pensions). The only way to retire will be if one has kids (or at least younger friends) willing to support them.
Another risk of this is that the capital class will try to defy economics by abolishing civil rights and re-instituting slavery or serfdom. After all, it worked for Constantine...
Labor shortages can be induced by cutting supply: the Black Death was a famous example of this. More modern ways to do so could be reducing the birthrate or deporting able-bodied, working-age immigrants.
Capital surplus can occur if there is too much cash and not enough investment opportunities. Importing more rich people and printing money can accomplish the former. Low interest rates and technological stagnation can accomplish the latter. War is also an option: war profiteering is a poor investment since the losing side's investors often get their assets confiscated as loot or reparations.
One risk of this approach is that retirement becomes near-impossible. This is because retirees are capital holders: either directly via defined-contribution pensions or indirectly via annuities (defined-benefit pensions). The only way to retire will be if one has kids (or at least younger friends) willing to support them.
Another risk of this is that the capital class will try to defy economics by abolishing civil rights and re-instituting slavery or serfdom. After all, it worked for Constantine...