Not Asking for Much: Public Opinion and Redistribution from the Rich

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weakliem ◽  
Robert Biggert
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
General Population ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Clear Support

Abstract The logic of self-interest suggests that most people will favor imposing heavy taxes on the rich and distributing the proceeds among the general population, but in reality this is not a popular position. A number of explanations have been suggested, but there has been little systematic research. This paper reviews a wide range of survey data with the goal of identifying more or less promising explanations. Three receive clear support: most people underestimate the earnings of those at the top, believe that the chance of earning high incomes contributes to economic growth, and have little faith in the government’s ability to redistribute wealth. One can be rejected: that people tend to overestimate their own economic standing. Others receive mixed or moderate support. The paper concludes by discussing how public opinion may help to account for national differences in the concentration of wealth and income.

Public Opinion on Inequality

2020 ◽  
pp. 243-261
Author(s):  
Karlyn Bowman ◽  
Eleanor O’Neil
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Mixed Feelings ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Perceptions Of Inequality

In this chapter, the authors begin with a look at survey data on Americans’ self-perceived social class, what they think it means to be rich, and how they view those who are. They then turn to general perceptions of inequality and opportunity in America, and, finally, they look at opinions about government’s role in addressing inequality. Most US pollsters do not ask questions about inequality regularly, and surveys suggest that few Americans see themselves as rich or poor: most describe themselves as middle class, and they have mixed feelings about the rich. Awareness of inequality is not new, nor is the belief that it is growing. The data are not clear about whether most people believe America is still an opportunity society. Polls show that, in the abstract, people want government to act, but they do not know precisely what they want government to do.

Distributional coalitions and other sources of economic stagnation: on Olson's Rise and Decline of Nations

1988 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
World War ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Economic Stagnation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cross National

One of the most important recent contributions to the field of comparative political economy is Mancur Olson's The Rise and Decline of Nations. In that work, Olson deduces, from his logic of collective action, a series of implications regarding the impact of social organizations—in particular, “distributional coalitions”—on economic growth that can explain variations in national growth rates across a wide range of time and space. This article considers the assumptions upon which that logic is founded, the plausibility of the several implications drawn from that logic, and the application of the theory to account for differences among five nations in rates of economic growth in the post-World War II era. The analysis suggests that the characteristics of group activity emphasized by Olson represent, at best, only a small— perhaps negligible—part of the explanation of cross-national differences in growth. Instead, it suggests that an important source of the variation among nations in growth rates is the international political and economic system. In particular, the discussion of the German, Japanese, and British cases suggests that stagnation (or growth) is, to a considerable extent, the product of a nation's position in the world economy, the policy responses through which governments seek to perpetuate or improve that position, and the constraints upon (or opportunities for) growth-oriented domestic economic policy posed by that position.

Features of the Christian values ​​system

2004 ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
G.V. Pyrog
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Religious Values ◽  
Direct Influence ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
Value System ◽  
Christian Religion ◽  
Mass Consciousness ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Very High

In domestic scientific and public opinion, interest in religion as a new worldview paradigm is very high. Today's attention to the Christian religion in our society is connected, in our opinion, with the specificity of its value system, which distinguishes it from other forms of consciousness: the idea of ​​God, the absolute, the eternity of moral norms. That is why its historical forms do not receive accurate characteristics and do not matter in the mass consciousness. Modern religious beliefs do not always arise as a result of the direct influence of church preaching. The emerging religious values ​​are absorbed in a wide range of philosophical, artistic, ethical ideas, acting as a compensation for what is generally defined as spirituality. At the same time, the appeal to Christian values ​​became very popular.

Amiya Kumar Bagchi. The Political Economy of Underdevelopment. London: Cambridge University Press. 1982. Reprint 1983. pp.viii+276. List of books for further reading; Index. Price: £ 8.50 (paperback edition).

1985 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Zia Ul Haq
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Third World ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Third World

Amiya Kumar Bagchi, an eminent economist of the modern Cambridge tradition, has produced a timely treatise, in a condensed form, on the development problems of the Third World countries. The author's general thesis is that economic development in the developing societies necessarily requires a radical transformation in the economic, social and political structures. As economic development is actually a social process, economic growth should not be narrowly defined as the growth of the stock of rich capitalists. Neither can their savings be equated to capital formation whose impact on income will presumably 'trickle down' to the working classes. Economic growth strategies must not aim at creating rich elites, because, according to the author, "maximizing the surplus in the hands of the rich in the Third World is not, however, necessarily a way of maximizing the rate of growth".

Generating Prosperity for Working Families in Affluent Countries

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Real Income ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Working Families ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Rich Countries ◽  
Analysis Of Performance

This book addresses the central challenge facing rich countries: how to ensure that ordinary working families see their living standards and the prospects for their children improve rather than stagnate over time. It presents the findings from a comprehensive analysis of performance over recent decades across the rich countries of the OECD, in terms of real income growth around and below the middle. It relates this performance to overall economic growth, exploring why these often diverge substantially, and to the different models of capitalism or economic growth embedded in different countries. In-depth comparative and UK-focused analyses also focus on wages and the labour market and on the role of redistribution. Going beyond income, other indicators and aspects of living standards are also incorporated including non-monetary indicators of deprivation and financial strain, wealth and its distribution, and intergenerational mobility. By looking across this broad canvas, the book teases out how ordinary households have fared in recent decades in these critically important respects, and how that should inform the quest for inclusive growth and prosperity.

scholarly journals The IDEAL household energy dataset, electricity, gas, contextual sensor data and survey data for 255 UK homes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Pullinger ◽  
Jonathan Kilgour ◽  
Nigel Goddard ◽  
Niklas Berliner ◽  
Lynda Webb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Power Measurement ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Energy Awareness ◽  
Household Energy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Ideal

AbstractThe IDEAL household energy dataset described here comprises electricity, gas and contextual data from 255 UK homes over a 23-month period ending in June 2018, with a mean participation duration of 286 days. Sensors gathered 1-second electricity data, pulse-level gas data, 12-second temperature, humidity and light data for each room, and 12-second temperature data from boiler pipes for central heating and hot water. 39 homes also included plug-level monitoring of selected electrical appliances, real-power measurement of mains electricity and key sub-circuits, and more detailed temperature monitoring of gas- and heat-using equipment, including radiators and taps. Survey data included occupant demographics, values, attitudes and self-reported energy awareness, household income, energy tariffs, and building, room and appliance characteristics. Linked secondary data comprises weather and level of urbanisation. The data is provided in comma-separated format with a custom-built API to facilitate usage, and has been cleaned and documented. The data has a wide range of applications, including investigating energy demand patterns and drivers, modelling building performance, and undertaking Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring research.

scholarly journals The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI): development and validation of a new measure of autistic traits in the general population

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. W. English ◽  
Gilles E. Gignac ◽  
Troy A. W. Visser ◽  
Andrew J. O. Whitehouse ◽  
James T. Enns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
General Population ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Sensory Sensitivity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background Traits and characteristics qualitatively similar to those seen in diagnosed autism spectrum disorder can be found to varying degrees in the general population. To measure these traits and facilitate their use in autism research, several questionnaires have been developed that provide broad measures of autistic traits [e.g. Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ)]. However, since their development, our understanding of autism has grown considerably, and it is arguable that existing measures do not provide an ideal representation of the trait dimensions currently associated with autism. Our aim was to create a new measure of autistic traits that reflects our current understanding of autism, the Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI). Methods In Study 1, 107 pilot items were administered to 1119 individuals in the general population and exploratory factor analysis of responses used to create the 42-item CATI comprising six subscales: Social Interactions, Communication, Social Camouflage, Repetitive Behaviours, Cognitive Rigidity, and Sensory Sensitivity. In Study 2, the CATI was administered to 1068 new individuals and confirmatory factor analysis used to verify the factor structure. The AQ and BAPQ were administered to validate the CATI, and additional autistic participants were recruited to compare the predictive ability of the measures. In Study 3, to validate the CATI subscales, the CATI was administered to 195 new individuals along with existing valid measures qualitatively similar to each CATI subscale. Results The CATI showed convergent validity at both the total-scale (r ≥ .79) and subscale level (r ≥ .68). The CATI also showed superior internal reliability for total-scale scores (α = .95) relative to the AQ (α = .90) and BAPQ (α = .94), consistently high reliability for subscales (α > .81), greater predictive ability for classifying autism (Youden’s Index = .62 vs .56–.59), and demonstrated measurement invariance for sex. Limitations Analyses of predictive ability for classifying autism depended upon self-reported diagnosis or identification of autism. The autistic sample was not large enough to test measurement invariance of autism diagnosis. Conclusions The CATI is a reliable and economical new measure that provides observations across a wide range of trait dimensions associated with autism, potentially precluding the need to administer multiple measures, and to our knowledge, the CATI is also the first broad measure of autistic traits to have dedicated subscales for social camouflage and sensory sensitivity.

Military Alliances and Public Support for War

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tomz ◽  
Jessica L P Weeks
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Moral Obligation ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Military Alliances ◽  
Audience Costs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Willingness To Intervene ◽  
Reputational Costs

Abstract How do military alliances affect public support for war to defend victims of aggression? We offer the first experimental evidence on this fundamental question. Our experiments revealed that alliance commitments greatly increased the American public's willingness to intervene abroad. Alliances shaped public opinion by increasing public fears about the reputational costs of nonintervention and by heightening the perceived moral obligation to intervene out of concerns for fairness and loyalty. Finally, although alliances swayed public opinion across a wide range of circumstances, they made the biggest difference when the costs of intervention were high, the stakes of intervention were low, and the country needing aid was not a democracy. Thus, alliances can create pressure for war even when honoring the commitment would be extremely inconvenient, which could help explain why democratic allies tend to be so reliable. These findings shed new light on the consequences of alliances and other international legal commitments, the role of morality in foreign policy, and ongoing debates about domestic audience costs.

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