Fractionalization and the size of government

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lind, Jo Thori
• 署名单位: University of Oslo
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2006.09.006
• 发表日期: 2007
• 页码: 51-76
• 关键词: fractionalization; redistribution; political economy

摘要

I study the effect of voters with a group-based social conscience. Voters care more about the well-being of those belonging to their own group than the rest of the population. Within a model of political tax determination, both fractionalization and group antagonism reduce the support for redistribution. Whereas within group inequality increases support for redistribution, inequality between groups has the opposite effect. These results hold even if a poor group forms a majority. Using a panel constructed from US micro data, I find support for the hypothesis that within race inequality increases redistribution while between race inequality decreases redistribution. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.