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In this paper, we use a Micro-Macro model to evaluate the effects of a euro's depreciation on the French economy, both at the macro and micro level. Our Micro-Macro model consists of a Microsimulation model that includes an arithmetical model for the French fiscal system and two behavioral models used to simulate the effects on consumption behavior and labor supply, and a multisectoral CGE model which simulates the macroeconomic effects of a reform or a shock. The integration of the two models is made using an iterative (or sequential) approach. We find that a 10% euro's depreciation stimulates the aggregate demand by increasing exports and reducing imports which increases production and reduces the unemployment rate in the economy. At the individual level, we find that the macroeconomic shock reduces poverty and, to a lesser extent, income inequality. In particular, the decrease in the equilibrium wage, determined in the macro model, slightly reduces the available income for people who have already a job, while the reduction in the level of unemployment permits to some individuals to find a job, substantially increasing their income and, in many cases, bringing them out of poverty.

This paper inverts the usual logic of applied optimal income taxation. It starts from the observed distribution of income before and after redistribution and corresponding marginal tax rates. Under a set of simplifying assumptions, it is then possible to recover the social welfare function that would make the observed marginal tax rate schedule optimal. In this framework, the issue of the optimality of an existing tax-benefit system is transformed into the issue of the shape of the social welfare function associated with that system and whether it satisfies elementary properties. This method is applied to the French redistribution system with the interesting implication that the French redistribution authority may appear, under some plausible scenario concerning the size of the labor supply behavioral reactions, non Paretian (e.g. giving negative marginal social weights to the richest class of tax payers).

Drawing from the formal setting of the optimal tax theory (Mirrlees 1971), the paper identifies the level of Rawlsianism of some European social planner starting from the observation of the real data and redistribution systems and uses it to build a metric that allows measuring the degree of (dis)similarity of the redistribution systems analyzed. It must be considered as a contribution to the comparative research on the structure and typology of the Welfare State (Esping-Andersen, 1990). In particular we consider the optimal taxation model that combines both intensive (Mirrlees) and extensive (Diamond) margins of labor supply, as suggested by Saez (2002) in order to assess the degree of decommodification of seven European welfare systems. We recover the shape of the social welfare function implicit in taxbenefit systems by inverting the model on actual effective tax rates, as if existing systems were optimal according to some Mirrleesian social planner. Actual distributions of incomes before and after redistribution are obtained using a pan-European tax-benefit microsimulation model. Results are discussed in the light of standard classifications of welfare regimes in Europe. There appears to be a clear coincidence of high decommodification and high Rawlsianism in the Scandinavian, social-democratically influenced welfare states (Denmark). There is an equally clear coincidence of low decommodification and utilitarianism in the Anglo-Saxon liberal model (UK) and in the Southern European welfare states (Italy and Spain). Finally, the Continental European countries (Finland, Germany and France) group closely together in the middle of the scale, as corporatist and etatist.

Drawing from the formal setting of the optimal tax theory (Mirrlees 1971), the paper identifies the level of Rawlsianism of some European social planners starting from the observation of real data and redistribution systems and uses it to build a metric that allows measuring the degree of (dis)similarity of the redistribution systems analyzed. It must be considered as a contribution to the comparative research on the structure and typology of the Welfare State. In particular we consider the optimal taxation model that combines both intensive and extensive margins of labor supply, as suggested by Saez (2002) in order to assess the degree of decommodification of seven European welfare systems. We recover the shape of the social welfare function implicit in tax-benefit systems by inverting the model on actual effective tax rates, as if existing systems were optimal according to some Mirrleesian social planner. Actual distributions of incomes before and after redistribution are obtained using a pan-European tax-benefit microsimulation model. Results are discussed in the light of standard classifications of welfare regimes in Europe. There appears to be a clear coincidence of high decommodification willingness and high Rawlsianism in the Scandinavian, socialdemocratically influenced welfare states (Denmark). There is an equally clear coincidence of low decommodification willingness and utilitarianism in the Anglo-Saxon liberal model (UK) and in the Southern European welfare states (Italy and Spain). Finally, the Continental European countries (Finland, Germany and France) group closely together in the middle of the scale, as corporatist and etatist.

We consider redistributional taxation between people with and without human capital if education is endogenous and if individuals differ in their perceptions about own ability. Those who see their ability as low like redistributive taxation because of the transfers it generates. Those who see their ability as high may also like redistributive taxation because it stops other people receiving education and increases the quasi rents on their own human capital. It is surprising that this rather indirect effect can overcompensate them for the income loss from taxation and make the overconfident want higher taxes than the less confident do. The results, however, turn out to be in line with empirical evidence on the desired amount of redistribution among young individuals. Betrachtet wird die Steuerumverteilung zwischen Individuen mit hohem und niedrigem Ausbildungsstand, wobei angenommen wird, dass Bildung endogen ist und die Individuen unterschiedliche Wahrnehmungen über ihre eigenen Fähigkeiten haben. Diejenigen, die ihre Fähigkeiten niedrig einschätzen bevorzugen eine Steuerumverteilung, da durch sie eine (Vermögens-)Übertragung erzeugt wird. Diejenigen, die ihre Fähigkeiten sehr hoch einschätzen bevorzugen ebenfalls eine Steuerumverteilung, da hierdurch andere Individuen davon abgehalten werden, Bildung zu erwerben und somit die Quasi-Rechte der ersteren aus ihrer Ausbildung erhöht werden. Dieser indirekte Effekt kann den Einkommensverlust durch Steuern überkompensieren. Die Bestausgebildesten fordern sogar höhere Steuern als die Individuen mit niedrigerem Bildungsniveau. Die Ergebnisse entsprechen den empirisch beobachteten gewünschten Umverteilungsbeträgen unter jungen Individuen.

Equal intra-household sharing is still assumed by the vaste majority of applied analyses in welfare economics. Few pieces of work have tried to depart from the equal sharing hypothesis, but their impact has been limited by lack of data or restricted application to special cases. This paper proposes a new framework to derive sharing rules based on individual bargaining power. The latter is deÖned for each household member as the share of resources gained by the household due to his/her presence. The causes of power di§erentials and their impact on income distribution are analysed in four EU countries presenting signiÖcantly di§erent tax-beneÖt systems: Finland, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

"We consider redistributional taxation between people with and without human capital if education is endogenous and if individuals differ in their perceptions about own ability. Those who see their ability as low like redistributive taxation because of the transfers it generates. Those who see their ability as high may also like redistributive taxation because it stops other people receiving education and increases the quasi rents on their own human capital. It is surprising that this rather indirect effect can overcompensate them for the income loss from taxation and make the overconfident want higher taxes than the less confident do. The results, however, turn out to be in line with empirical evidence on the desired amount of redistribution among young individuals." (author's abstract) "Betrachtet wird die Steuerumverteilung zwischen Individuen mit hohem und niedrigem Ausbildungsstand, wobei angenommen wird, dass Bildung endogen ist und die Individuen unterschiedliche Wahrnehmungen über ihre eigenen Fähigkeiten haben. Diejenigen, die ihre Fähigkeiten niedrig einschätzen bevorzugen eine Steuerumverteilung, da durch sie eine (Vermögens-)Übertragung erzeugt wird. Diejenigen, die ihre Fähigkeiten sehr hoch einschätzen bevorzugen ebenfalls eine Steuerumverteilung, da hierdurch andere Individuen davon abgehalten werden, Bildung zu erwerben und somit die Quasi-Rechte der ersteren aus ihrer Ausbildung erhöht werden. Dieser indirekte Effekt kann den Einkommensverlust durch Steuern überkompensieren. Die Bestausgebildesten fordern sogar höhere Steuern als die Individuen mit niedrigerem Bildungsniveau. Die Ergebnisse entsprechen den empirisch beobachteten gewünschten Umverteilungsbeträgen unter jungen Individuen." (Autorenreferat)

We study the dynamics of a set of agents distributed in the nodes of an adaptive network. Each agent plays with all its neighbors a weak prisoner´s dilemma collecting a total pay-off. We study the case where the network adapts locally depending on the total pay-off of the agents. In the parameter regime considered, a steady state is always reached (strategies and network remain stationary), where cooperation is highly enhanced. However, when the adaptability of the network and the incentive for defection are high enough, we show that a slight perturbation of the steady state induces large oscillations (with cascades) in behavior between the nearly all-defectors sate and the all-cooperators outcome., DGYCIT PB94-1167