Social Preferences for Redistribution in Central Eastern Europe and in the Baltic Countries

  • David Aristei
  • Cristiano Perugini
Chapter
Part of the Studies in Economic Transition book series (SET)

Abstract

An extensive literature has highlighted how aggregate (social) preferences for redistribution are the result of a complex interaction of many forces (Alesina and Giuliano, 2009). First of all, a large number of factors affect individual attitudes towards inequality. They include current income levels (Ravallion and Lokshin, 2000), expectations about future income and social mobility (Benabou and Ok, 2001), education (Isaksson and Lindskog, 2007), age (Corneo and Gruner, 2002), gender (Crozon and Gneezy, 2008), professional and employment status (Alesina and Glaeser, 2004), ideology (Alesina and Fuchs-Schuendeln, 2007), perception of fairness (Benabou and Tirole, 2006), attitude to act in accordance to public values (Corneo and Gruner, 2002), race and ethnic group (Alesina and Glaeser, 2004), personal history (Piketty, 1995), and religious beliefs (Scheve and Stasavage, 2006). In addition, countries differ in terms of collective features affecting attitudes towards inequality, such as the exposition to macroeconomic shocks (Giuliano and Spilimbergo, 2009), cultural norms (Giuliano, 2007) and family models (Alesina and Giuliano, 2007). As economic systems differ strongly in terms both of population composition and of collective features, remarkable crosscountry heterogeneity in aggregate preferences for redistribution is to be expected.

Keywords

Utility Function Marginal Utility Social Preference Inequality Aversion Baltic Country 
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© David Aristei and Cristiano Perugini 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • David Aristei
  • Cristiano Perugini

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