Preference for ridistribution

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1、PreferencesforRedistribution∗AlbertoAlesinaandPaolaGiulianoHarvardUniversityandUCLAJune2008RevisedJanuary2009AbstractThispaperdiscusseswhatdeterminesthepreferencesofindividualsforredistribution.Wereviewthetheoreticalliteratureandprovideaframe-worktoincorporatevariouseffectspreviouslystud

2、iedseparatelyintheliterature.WethenexamineempiricalevidencefortheUS,usingtheGen-eralSocialSurvey,andforalargesetofcountries,usingtheWorldValuesSurvey.Thepaperreviewspreviouslyfoundresultsandprovidesseveralnewones.Weemphasize,inparticular,theroleofhistoricalexperiences,culturalfactorsand

3、personalhistoryasdeterminantsofpreferencesforequalityortoleranceforinequality.1IntroductionEconomiststraditionallyassumethatindividualshavepreferencesdefinedovertheirlifetimeconsumption(income)andmaximizetheirutilityunderasetofconstraints.Thesameprincipleappliestopreferencesforredistribu

4、tion.Itfollowsthatmaximizationofutilityfromconsumptionandleisureandsomeaggregationofindividualpreferencesdeterminestheequilibriumleveloftaxesandtransfers.1Notetheinter-temporalnatureofthismaximizationproblem:preferencesforredistributiondependnotonlyonwherepeoplearetodayintheincomeladder

5、butalsoonwheretheythinktheywillbeinthefutureifredistributivepoliciesarelong-lasting.Thelevelofinequalityofasocietymayaffectsomeindividuals’incomein-directly.Forinstancethelevelofinequalitymayaffectcrimeandsomepeoplemaybemoreorlesssubjecttotheriskofcriminalactivities.But,inaddition,individ

6、ualshaveviewsregardingredistributionthatgobeyondthecurrentandfuturestatesoftheirpocketbooks.Theseviewsreflectdifferentideasabout∗PreparedfortheHandbookofSocialEconomics.WethankDavidLaibson,RomainWacziargand,especially,AlbertoBisinforveryusefulcommentsandsuggestions.1SeePerssonandTabellini

7、(2002)andDrazen(2002)forabroadreviewofpoliticaleco-nomicmodels.1whatanappropriateshapeoftheincomedistributionis:inpractice,viewsaboutacceptablelevelsofinequalityand/orpoverty.Explainingtheoriginoftheseideas(whicheventuallytranslateintopoliciesviasomemechanismofaggregationofpref