Inequality perceptions, distributional norms, and redistributive preferences in East and West Germany

Arbeitspapier

This paper studies differences in inequality perceptions, distributional norms, and redistributive preferences between East and West Germany. As expected, there are substantial differences with respect to all three of these measures. Surprisingly, however, differences in distributional norms are much smaller than differences with respect to inequality perceptions or redistributive preferences. Nonetheless, individuals from East Germany tend to be more supportive of state redistribution and progressive taxation, and less likely to have a conservative political orientation, even conditional on having the same inequality perceptions and distributional norms.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 9

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ; National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: General ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
• Subject: subjective inequality indices ; redistributive preferences ; political preferences ; Soziale Ungleichheit ; Wahrnehmung ; Verteilungsgerechtigkeit ; Einkommensumverteilung ; Meinung ; Neue politische Ökonomie ; Alte Bundesländer ; Neue Bundesländer ; Deutschland

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Kuhn, Andreas
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Zurich, Department of Economics
• (where): Zurich
• (when): 2011

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.5167/uzh-51513
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/77490
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET