Distributional preferences and political behavior

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fisman, Raymond; Jakiela, Pamela; Kariv, Shachar
• 署名单位: Boston University; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park; University of California System; University of California Berkeley
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.08.010
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 1-10
• 关键词: Distributional preferences; social preferences; Fair-mindedness; Self-interest impartiality; EQUALITY; EFFICIENCY; redistribution; Political decisions; voting; Party affiliation; American Life Panel (ALP); experiment

摘要

We document the relationship between distributional preferences and voting decisions in a large and diverse sample of Americans. Using a generalized dictator game, we generate individual-level measures of fair-mindedness (the weight on oneself versus others) and equality-efficiency tradeoffs. Subjects' equality-efficiency tradeoffs predict their political decisions: equality-focused subjects are more likely to have voted for Barack Obama in 2012, and to be affiliated with the Democratic Party. Our findings shed light on how American voters are motivated by their distributional preferences. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.