Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Welfare analysis and redistributive policies

  • Published:
The Journal of Economic Inequality Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Applied welfare analyses of redistributive systems nowadays benefit from powerful tax-benefit microsimulation programs combined with administrative data. Arguably, most of the distributional studies of that kind focus on social welfare defined as a function – typically inequality or poverty indices – of household equivalized income. In parallel, economic research has made considerable progress in the measurement of welfare along several dimensions. Distinct but related branches of the literature have attempted (i) to model different behavior (in a way that matter for incidence and redistribution of tax-benefit policies), (ii) to go beyond income, (iii) to better define and estimate equivalence scales, (iv) to open the household black box and measure welfare at the individual level. I suggest a general framework to critically review these streams of literatures and to discuss whether recent advances in each of these fields have been or could be readily operationalized in welfare analyses and policy simulations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaberge, R., Colombino, U.: Labour Supply, Chap. 5, Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling (C. O’Donoghue editor) (2015)

  • Aaberge, R., Dagsvik, J., Strøm, S.: Labor supply responses and welfare effects of tax reforms. Scand. J. Econ. 97(4), 635–659 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaberge, R., Colombino, U., Strøm, S.: Do more equal slices shrink the cake? An empirical investigation of tax-transfer reform proposals in Italy. J. Popul. Econ. 17, 767–785 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alderman, H., Chiappori, P.A., Haddad, L., Hoddinott, J., Kanbur, R.: Unitary versus collective models of the household: Is it time to shift the burden of the proof. World Bank Res. Observ. 10, 1–19 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allingham, M.G., Sandmo, A.: Income tax evasion: A theoretical analysis. J. Public Econ. 1(3–4), 323–338 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, P.M., Meyer, B.D.: Unemployment insurance takeup rates and the after-tax value of benefits. Quar. J. Econ. 112, 913–937 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apps, P.F., Rees, R.: Taxation and the household. J. Publ. Econ. 35, 355–369 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, A.B.: On the measurement of inequality. J. Econ. Theory 2, 244–263 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, A.B.: Bringing income distribution in from the cold. Econ. J. 107(441), 297–321 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, A.B.: EUROMOD and the development of EU Social Policy. EUROMOD working paper 1/05 (2005)

  • Atkinson, A.B., Bourguignon, F.: Income distribution and differences in needs, Chapter 12. In: Feiwel, G.R. (ed.) Arrow and the Foundations of the Theory of Economic Policy. Macmillan, London (1987)

  • Atkinson, A., Bourguignon, F., Chiappori, P.A.: What do we learn about tax reforms from international comparisons? France and Britain. Eur. Econ. Rev. 32(32), 343–52 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Attanasio, O., Meghir, C., Santiago, A.: Education choices in Mexico: Using a structural model and a randomized experiment to evaluate PROGRESA. Rev. Econ. Stud. (2011)

  • Banks, J., Blundell, R., Lewbel, A.: Tax reform and welfare measurement: Do we need demand system estimation?. Econ. J. 106(438), 127–124 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargain, O.: Decomposing Inequality and Poverty Trends and Quantifying the Role of Tax-Benefit Policy Reforms, Chap. 5. In: C. O’Donoghue (ed.) Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling (2015)

  • Bargain, O., Donni, O.: The measurement of child costs: A Rothbarth-type method consistent with scale economies and parents bargaining. Eur. Econ. Rev. 56(4), 792–813 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargain, O., Doorley, K.: The effect of social benefits on youth employment: Combining RD and a behavioral model, forthcoming in Journal of Human Resources (2017)

  • Bargain, O., Moreau, N.: Does taxation affect intrahousehold distribution? A simulation approach. Res. Econ. Inequal., 15 (2007)

  • Bargain, O., Peichl, A.: Steady-state labor supply elasticities: An international comparison. IZA J. Labor Econ. 5,10, 1–31 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bargain, O., Decoster, A., Dolls, M., Peichl, A., Neumann, D., Siegloch, S.: Welfare, heterogeneity and responsibility: Evidence from Europe. Social Choice Welfare 41(4), 789–817 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargain, O., Orsini, K., Peichl, A.: Comparing labor supply elasticities in Europe and the US: New results. J. Human Resour. 49(3), 723–838 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bargain, O., Donni, O., Kwenda, P.: Intrahousehold distribution and poverty: Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire. J. Develop. Econ. 107(C), 262–276 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  • Basu, K.: Gender and say: a model of household behavior with endogenously-determined balance of power. Econ. J. 116, 558–580 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benedek, D., Lelkes, O.: The distributional implications of income under-reporting in Hungary. Fiscal Stud. 32(4), 539–60 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhargava, S., Manoli, D.: Psychological frictions and the incomplete take-up of social benefits : Evidence from an IRS field experiment. Amer. Econ. Rev. 105, 3489–3529 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackorby, C., Donaldson, D.: Adult-equivalence scales and the economic implementation of interpersonal comparisons of well-being. Social Choice Welfare 10, 335–361 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloemen, H.: An empirical model of collective household labour supply with nonparticipation. Econ. J. 120(543), 183–214 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell, R.: Tax policy reform: The role of empirical evidence. J. Eur. Econ. Assoc. 10, 43–77 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell, R., McCurdy, T.: Labor supply: A review of alternative approaches. In: Ashenfelter, O., Card, D. (eds.) Handbook of Labour Economics, vol. 3A. Elsevier Science Publishers (1999)

  • Blundell, R., Duncan, A., McCrae, J., Meghir, C.: The labour market impact of the working families’ tax credit. Fiscal Stud. 21(1), 75–104 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosmans, K., Decancq, K., Ooghe, E.: Who’s afraid of aggregating money metrics? Mimeo (2017)

  • Bourguignon, F., Spadaro, A.: Microsimulation as a tool for evaluating redistribution policies. J. Econ. Inequal. 4,2, 77–106 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourguignon, F., Spadaro, A.: Tax–benefit revealed social prefences. J. Econ. Inequal. 10, 75–108 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourguignon, F., Browning, M., Chiappori, P.-A., Lechene, V.: Income and outcomes: A structural model of intrahousehold allocation. J. Polit. Econ. 102(6), 1067–1096 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourguignon, F., Ferreira, F., Lustig, N.: The Microeconomics of Income Distribution Dynamics in East Asia and Latin America. World Bank, Washington, DC (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourguignon, F., Browning, M., Chiappori, P.A.: Efficient intra-household allocations and distribution factors: Implications and identification. Rev. Econ. Stud. 76(2), 503–528 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M., Wren-Lewis, L.: Accounting for changes in income inequality: Decomposition analyses for the UK, 1978–2008. Oxford Bull.of Econ. Stat. 78(3), 289–322 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M., Duncan, A., Shephard, A., Suarez, M.-J.: Did the WFTC work? Analysing the impact of in-work benefits on labour supply and programme participation. Labour Econ. (2005)

  • Browning, M., Chiappori, P.-A., Lewbel, A.: Estimating consumption economies of scale, adult equivalence scales, and household bargaining power. Rev. Econ. Stud. 80(4), 1267–1303 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns, S.K., Ziliak, J.P.: Identifying the elasticity of taxable income. Econ. J (2016). https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12299

  • Carpantier, J.F., Sapata, C.: Empirical Welfare Analysis: When Preferences Matter. Social Choice and Welfare Economics 46(3), 521–542 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ceriani, L., Fiorio, C., Gigliarano, C.: The importance of choosing the data set for tax-benefit analysis. Int. J. Microsimul. 6(1), 86–121 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chambaz, C., Maurin, E.: Atkinson and Bourguignon’s dominance criteria: extended and applied to the measurement of poverty in France. Rev. Income Wealth 44, 497–513 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherchye, L., De Rock, B., Vermeulen, F.: Married with children: A collective labor supply model with detailed time use and intrahousehold expenditure information. Amer. Econ. Rev. 102(17), 3377–3405 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chetty, R.: Sufficient statistics for welfare analysis: A bridge between structural and reduced-form methods. Ann. Rev. Econ. 1(1), 451–488 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiappori, P.-A.: Rational household labor supply. Econometrica 56, 63–89 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiappori, P.-A.: Collective labor supply and welfare. J. Polit. Econ. 100, 437–467 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiappori, P.-A.: Equivalence versus Indifference Scales, (Lecture at the Royal Economic Society conference, 2015), forthcoming in the Economic Journal (2016)

  • Chiappori, P.-A., Donni, O.: Non-unitary models of household behavior: A survey of the literature. In: Molina, A. (ed.) Household economic behaviors. Springer, Berlin (2011)

  • Chiappori, P.-A., Mazzocco, M.: Static and Intertemporal Household Decisions, forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Literature (2016)

  • Chiappori, P.A., Meghir, C.: Intra-household Welfare. NBER Working Paper No 20189 (2014)

  • Clark, A.E., Frijters, P., Shields, M.: Relative income, happiness and utility: an explanation for the Easterlin paradox and other puzzles. J. Econ. Lit. 46(1), 95–144 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Copenhagen Economics: Study on reduced VAT applied to goods and services in the member states of the European Union, Research Report on behalf of the EU Commission, 6503 DG TAXUD (2007)

  • Couprie, H., Ferrant, G.: Welfare comparisons, economies of scales and equivalence scale in time use. Ann. Econ. Stat. 117–118, 185–210 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Couprie, H., Peluso, E., Trannoy, A.: Is power more evenly balanced in poor households?. J. Publ. Econ. 94,7–8, 493–507 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowell, F.: Tax evasion with labor income. J. Publ. Econ. 26, 19–35 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Currie, J.: The take-up of social benefits. In: Auerbach, JA, Card, D, Quigley, JM (eds.) Public Policy and the Income Distribution, pp. 80–148. Russell Sage Foundation, New York (2006)

  • Decancq, K., Fleurbaey, M., Schokkaert, E.: Happiness, equivalent incomes, and respect for individual preferences. Economica 82, 1082–1106 (2015a)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Decancq, K., Fleurbaey, M., Schokkaert, E.: Inequality, income, and well-being. In: Atkinson, A.B., Bourguignon, F (eds.) Handbook on Income Distribution, vol. 2A, pp. 67–140. Elsevier (2015b)

  • Decancq, K., Schokkaert, E.: Beyond GDP: measuring social progress in Europe. KU Leuven: Mimeo (2013)

  • Decoster, A., Haan, P.: Empirical welfare analysis with preference heterogeneity. Int. Tax Public Financ. 22(2), 224–25 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Decoster, A., Verwerft, D., Loughrey, J., O’Donoghue, C.: Microsimulation of indirect taxes. Int. J. Microsimul. 4(2), 41–56 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • de Hoyos, R.: Female Labour Participation and Occupation Decisions in Post-NAFTA Mexico, Research in Labor Economics, vol. 33, pp. 85–127. Emerald Group Publishing Limited (2012)

  • Donni, O.: Collective household labor supply: Non-participation and income taxation. J. Publ. Econ. 87, 1179–1198 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donni, O., Moreau, N.: Collective labor supply: A single-equation model and some evidence from French data. J. Human Resour. 42, 214–246 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dörrenberg, P., Peichl, A., Siegloch, S.: The elasticity of taxable income in the presence of deduction possibilities, forthcoming Journal of Public Economics (2016)

  • Duclos, J.-Y.: Modelling the take-up of state support. J. Publ. Econ. 58, 391–415 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunbar, G., Lewbel, A., Pendakur, K.: Children’s resources in collective households: Identification, estimation and an application to child poverty in Malawi. Amer. Econ. Rev. 103, 438–471 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebert, U.: Social welfare when needs differ: An axiomatic approach. Economica 64, 233–244 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, N., Slemrod, J.: Estimating tax noncompliance with evidence from unaudited tax returns. Econ. J. 117(518), 327–352 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldstein, M.: Tax avoidance and the deadweight loss of the income tax. Rev. Econ. Stat. 81(4), 674–680 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figari, F., Paulus, A., Sutherland, H.: Microsimulation and policy analysis. Handbook of Income Distribution: Volume 2B, Ch. 24 - 2015 (2017)

  • Fleurbaey, M.: Fairness, Responsability, and Welfare. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2008)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fleurbaey, M.: Beyond GDP: The quest for a measure of social welfare. J. Econ. Literat. 47, 1029–1075 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleurbaey, M., Blanchet, D.: Measuring Welfare and Assessing Sustainability. Oxford University Press, USA (2013)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fleurbaey, M., Maniquet, F.: Fair income tax. Rev. Econ. Stud. 73(1), 55–83 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frederiksen, A., Graversen, E.K., Smith, N.: Tax evasion and work in the underground sector. Lab. Econ. 12, 613–628 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaertner, W., Schokkaert, E.E: Empirical Social Choice: Questionnaire-experimental Studies on Distributive Justice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong, X., van Soest, A.: Family structure and female labor supply in Mexico City. J. Human Resour. 37(1), 163–191 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haddad, L., Kanbur, R.: Is there an intrahousehold kuznets curve? Some evidence from the Philippines. Publ. Financ. 47(Supplement), 77–93 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  • Herault, N., Azpitarte, F.: Understanding changes in the distribution and redistribution of income: A unifying decomposition framework. Review of Income and Wealth (2014). https://doi.org/10.1111/roiw.12160

  • Hernandez, M., Pudney, S.: Measurement error in models of welfare participation. J. Publ. Econ. 91, 327–341 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Immervoll, H.: Falling up the stairs. An exploration of the effects of bracket creep on household incomes. Rev. Income Wealth 51(1), 37–62 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Immervoll, H., Kleven, H.J., Kreiner, C.T., Saez, E.: Welfare reform in European countries: A microsimulation analysis. Econ. J. 118(516), 1–44 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Immervoll, H., Kleven, H.J., Kreiner, C.T., Verdelin, N.: Optimal tax and transfer programs for couples with extensive labor supply responses. J. Publ. Econ. 95 (11–12), 1485–1500 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jara, X.H., Schokkaert, E.: Putting subjective well-being to use for ex-ante policy evaluation. KU Leuven (2016)

  • Jara and Schokkaert. this issue (2017)

  • Kahneman, D., Krueger, A.B.: Developments in the Measurement of Subjective Well-Being. J. Econ. Perspect. 22, 3.24 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., Wakker, P., Sarin, R.: Back to Bentham? Explorations of experienced utility. Quart. J. Econ. 112(2), 375–405 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keane, M.P., Todd, P.E., Wolpin, K.I.: The Structural Estimation of Behavioral Models: Discrete Choice Dynamic Programming Methods and Applications. In: Ashenfelter, O., Card, D. (eds.) Handbook of Labor Economics, vol. 4, pp. 331–461. Part A, North-Holland (2011)

  • King, M. A.: Welfare analysis of tax reforms using household data. J. Public Econ. 21(2), 183–214 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleven, H.J.: Bunching. Ann. Rev. Econ., 8(1) (2016)

  • Kleven, H., Knudsen, M., Kreiner, C., Pedersen, S., Saez, E.: Unwilling or unable to cheat? Evidence from a randomized tax audit experiment in Denmark. Econometrica 79(3), 651–692 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolm, S.C.: The optimal production of social justice. In: Margolis, J., Guitton, H. (eds.) Public Economics. Macmillan, London (1969)

  • Krueger, A.B., Schkade, D.A.: The reliability of subjective well-being measures. J. Public Econ. 92, 1833.1845 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacroix, G., Fortin, B.: Utility-based estimation of labour supply functions in the regular and irregular sectors. Econ. J. 102(415), 1407–1422 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laisney, F.: Welfare analysis of fiscal and social security reforms in Europe: Does the representation of family decision process matter?. Rev. Econ. Household 4, 99–180 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaLumia, S., Sallee, J.: The value of honesty: Empirical estimates from the case of the missing children. Int. Tax Publ. Financ. 20(2), 192–224 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, P.J., Ramos, X.: Welfare comparisons: Sequential procedures for heterogeneous populations. Economica 69(276), 549–562 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landais, C., Fack, G.: The effect of tax enforcement on tax elasticities: Evidence from charitable contributions in France, forthcoming in Journal of Public Economics (2016)

  • Lemieux, T., Fortin, B., Fréchette, P.: The effect of taxes on labour supply in the underground economy. Amer. Econ. Rev. 84(1), 231–254 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewbel, A.: Calculating compensation in cases of wrongful death. J. Econometr 113, 115–128 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewbel, A., Pendakur, K.: Estimation of collective household models with engel curves. J. Econometr. 148, 350–358 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lise, J, Seitz, S.: Consumption inequality and intra-household allocations. Rev. Econ. Stud. (2011)

  • Low, H., Meghir, C.: The use of structural models in econometrics. J. Econ. Perspect. 31/2, 33–58 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, S., Pollak, R.A.: Efficiency in marriage. Rev. Econ. Household 1, 153–167 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyssiotou, P., Pashardes, P., Stengos, T.: Estimates of the black economy based on consumer demand approaches. Econ. J. 114, 622–40 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsaganis, M., Levy, H., Flevotomou, M.: Non take up of social benefits in Greece and Spain. Soc. Polic. Admin. 44(7), 827–844 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsaganis, M., Leventi, C., Flevotomou, M.: The crisis and tax evasion in Greece: what are the distributional implications?. CESifo Forum 13(2), 26–32 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  • McElroy, M.B., Horney, M.J.: Nash-bargained decisions: Toward a generalisation of the theory of demand. Int. Econ. Rev. 22, 333–349 (1981)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meghir, C., Phillips, D.: Labour supply and taxes. IZA Discussion Paper No 3405 (2008)

  • Moffitt, R.: An economic model of welfare stigma. Amer. Econ. Rev. 73(5), 1023–1035 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, A., Wu, S.: Objective confirmation of subjective measures of human well-being: Evidence from the USA. Science 327, 576–579 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollak, R., Wales, T.J.: Welfare comparisons and equivalence scales. Amer. Econ. Rev. 69, 216–221 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pissarides, C.A., Weber, G.: An expenditure-based estimate of Britain’s black economy. J. Publ. Econ. 39, 17–32 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pudney, S., Hernandez, M., Hancock, R.: The welfare cost of means-testing: pensioner participation in income support. J. Appl. Econometr. 22, 581–598 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riphahn, R.T.: Rational poverty or poor rationality? The take-up of social assistance benefits. Rev. Income Wealth 47(3), 379–98 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothbarth, E.: Note on a method of determining equivalent income for families of different composition. In: Madge, C (ed.) War-time Pattern of Saving and Spending. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1943)

  • Saez, E., Slemrod, J., Giertz, S.H.: The elasticity of taxable income with respect to marginal tax rates: A critical review,. J. Econ. Literat. 50(1), 3–50 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, F., Enste, D.H.: Shadow economies: Size, causes, and consequences. J. Econ. Literat. 38, 77–114 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schokkaert, E., Van Ootegem, L., Verhofstadt, E.: Preferences and subjective job satisfaction: measuring well-being on the job for policy evaluation. CESifo Economic Studies 57, 683–714 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A.: The welfare basis of real income comparisons: A survey. J. Econ. Literat. 17, 1–45 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A.: Commodities and Capabilities. North-Holland, Amsterdam (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shorrocks, A.F.: Ranking income distributions. Economica 50, 3-17 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shorrocks, A. F.: Decomposition procedures for distributional analysis: A unified framework based on the Shapley value. J. Econ. Inequal. 11(1), 99–126 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slemrod, J., Weber, C.: Evidence of the invisible: Toward a credibility revolution in the empirical analysis of tax evasion and the informal economy. Int. Tax Publ. Financ. 19(1), 25–53 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., Fitoussi, J.-P.: Report by the Comission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, Technical Report (2009)

  • Sutherland, H.: Multi-country microsimulation, Chap. 4. In: O’Donoghue, C. (ed.) Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling (2015)

  • Terracol, A.: Analysing the Take-Up of Means-Tested Benefits in France, mimeo. Université Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne (2002)

  • Thoresen, T.O., Vattø, T.E.: Validation of the discrete choice labor supply model by methods of the new tax responsiveness literature. Labour Econ. 37, 38–53 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udry, C.: Gender, agricultural production, and the theory of the household. J. Polit. Econ. 104, 1010–1046 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Soest, A.: Structural models of family labor supply: A discrete choice approach. J. Human Resour. 30(1), 63–88 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vermeulen, F.: Collective household models: Principles and main results. J. Econ. Surv. 16(4), 533–564 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on a keynote presentation at the 20th EUROMOD anniversary conference, ISER, University of Essex, 5th of September 2016. I am very grateful to Frank Cowell for a thorough reading and excellent comments on the text, as well as to Marc Fleurbaey for the point regarding the social welfare aggregation of money-metric utilities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France

    Olivier Bargain

  2. Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France

    Olivier Bargain

Authors
  1. Olivier Bargain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olivier Bargain.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bargain, O. Welfare analysis and redistributive policies. J Econ Inequal 15, 393–419 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10888-017-9369-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10888-017-9369-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation