1. Decomposing Preference for Redistribution Beyond the Trans-Atlantic Perspective
- Author
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Kambayashi, Ryo, Lechevalier, Sebastien, Jenmana, Thanasak, Hitotsubashi University, Chine, Corée, Japon (CCJ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), Fondation France-Japon de l'EHESS (FFJ), École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), Paris School of Economics (PSE), École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), This paper is the outcome of two conferences held in July 2018 at Doshisha University and March 2019 at Paris School of Economics, co-organized by the Fondation France-Japon de l'EHESS and supported by The Toyota Foundation (Grant N°D16-R-0032) and by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18KK0044 and 19H00592, Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques (PJSE), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), and École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
inequality ,JEL: H - Public Economics/H.H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue/H.H2.H23 - Externalities • Redistributive Effects • Environmental Taxes and Subsidies ,JEL: D - Microeconomics/D.D6 - Welfare Economics/D.D6.D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ,government ,tax ,[SHS.ECO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Economics and Finance ,JEL: D - Microeconomics/D.D3 - Distribution/D.D3.D31 - Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ,redistribution - Abstract
An earlier version of this paper has been published here : https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02497274v1; There are significant differences across countries in terms of redistribution by the government. This corresponds to underlying dissimilarities in preference for redistribution. Particularly, previous literature compared the US and Europe and proposed several explanations of these differences, from aggregation of individual determinants (e.g. one’s income) to more holistic ones such as shared values at the national level (i.e. social beliefs). This paper, therefore, aims to analyse the impact of socio-demographic factors and social beliefs on preference for redistribution. First, we focused on two di_erent dimensions of preference —the government’s role in reducing the difference in income and the approach of the tax system with high income. Secondly, we extended the comparison by including a developed Asian country, Japan. Based on the results, the following two attitudes are not fully compatible: many people support the governmental intervention, but not for more tax on the rich, especially in Japan. Furthermore, the di_erence in the attitude on the governmental intervention mainly comes from the variance in the role of social beliefs. On the other hand, the average income and wealth do not explain the difference in preference. Countries are characterized by different social beliefs, which affects the differences in sub-preferences. However, not only the distribution of social beliefs, but also their statistical relation to the sub-preferences explains the country level disparity. In addition, the US and Europe comparison under/over-estimates these statistical associations in the world, since an Asian country, such as Japan, may have a different structure.
- Published
- 2020