The Effects of Income Transparency on Well-Being: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Perez-Truglia, Ricardo
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Los Angeles
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20160256
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 1019-1054
• 关键词: happiness; preferences; anatomy; demand

摘要

In 2001, Norwegian tax records became easily accessible online, allowing everyone in the country to observe the incomes of everyone else. According to the income comparisons model, this change in transparency can widen the gap in well-being between richer and poorer individuals. Using survey data from 1985-2013 and multiple identification strategies, we show that the higher transparency increased the gap in happiness between richer and poorer individuals by 29 percent, and it increased the life satisfaction gap by 21 percent. We provide back-of-the-envelope estimates of the importance of income comparisons, and discuss implications for the ongoing debate on transparency policies.