Redistributive preferences, redistribution, and inequality: Evidence from a panel of OECD countries

Arbeitspapier

This paper describes individuals' inequality perceptions, distributional norms, and redistributive preferences in a panel of OECD countries, primarily focusing on the association between these subjective measures and the effective level of inequality and redistribution. Not surprisingly, the effective level of redistribution (after tax-and-transfer inequality) is positively (negatively) correlated with redistributive preferences. There is also evidence showing that the subjective and objective dimension of inequality and redistribution are, at least partially, linked with individuals' political preferences and their voting behavior. The association between objective and subjective measures of inequality and redistribution vanishes, however, once more fundamental country characteristics are taken into account. This suggests that these characteristics explain both redistributive preferences as well as the effective level of redistribution and after tax-and-transfer inequality.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6721

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
• Subject: inequality perceptions ; distributional norms ; redistributive preferences ; inequality ; redistribution ; political preferences ; Einkommensumverteilung ; Verteilungspolitik ; Präferenztheorie ; Soziale Ungleichheit ; Wahrnehmung ; Wahlverhalten ; OECD-Staaten

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Kuhn, Andreas
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/62555
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET