Can democracy educate a society?

Arbeitspapier

We examine whether democratic societies can escape poverty traps. Unrestricted agenda setting with simple majority rules fail to educate a society, because education-enhancing redistribution will not occur. We show that a combination of suitable constitutional rules overcomes this impossibility result: rotating agenda setting and agenda repetition in combination with flexible majority rules or with a tax protection rule.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 1693

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior ; Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General ; National Government Expenditures and Education ; Education and Research Institutions: General ; Economic Development: General ; Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity: General
• Subject: constitutional design ; claims on deductions ; flexible majority rules ; agenda repetition ; poverty traps ; child labor

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Gersbach, Hans ; Siemers, Lars-H. R.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/33537
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET