scholarly journals Correcting inequality of personal incomes before income taxes and transfers: theoretical underpinnings and competition policy options

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-84
Author(s):  
Prof. Dr. Friedrich L. Sell
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Competition Policy ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Market Imperfections ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
Macroeconomic Indicators ◽  
Personal Incomes

Aim: The purpose of this paper is to bring together theory and policy of (personal) income distribution on the one hand and competition policy on the other hand. Design / research: The methods used in this paper cover a brief model set-up, followed by a numerical model-calibration. Thereafter, we present a model simulation and proceed to a Gini decomposition. Herewith, we are able to demonstrate how market imperfections translate into a higher concentration of personal incomes. Conclusions / findings: Our major finding is that only a rigorous competition policy is qualified to not only correct for market imperfections, but also to fight a greater inequality of personal incomes ex-ante. Originality / value of the article: This contribution provides – to our knowledge for the first time – a simultaneous explanation for stagnating, if not falling real wages and a deteriorating development of inequality of personal incomes, as measured by the Gini coefficient ex-ante. The US economy is a case study for this double observation, but many more developed economies may follow in the foreseeable future. Limitations of the research: The implication of the research is that long before government intervenes income distribution via taxes and transfers, competition policy should correct for market imperfections and thereby reduce the inequality of personal incomes. Unfortunately, to this point, we observe a lack of meaningful macroeconomic indicators for market imperfections and hence the possibility to conduct broad econometric studies in this area of investigation.

scholarly journals Measurement of inequality of opportunity: A normative approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristof Bosmans ◽  
Z. Emel Öztürk
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Inequality Of Opportunity ◽  
Welfare Gain ◽  
Allocation Rules ◽  
Normative Approach ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
Measurement Of Inequality

AbstractWe develop a normative approach to the measurement of inequality of opportunity. That is, we measure inequality of opportunity by the welfare gain obtained in moving from the actual income distribution to the optimal income distribution of the total available income. Our study brings together the main approaches in the literature: we axiomatically characterize social welfare functions, we obtain prominent allocation rules as their optima, and we derive familiar classes of inequality of opportunity measures. Our analysis captures moreover the key philosophical distinctions in the literature: ex post versus ex ante compensation, and liberal versus utilitarian reward.

Optimal Taxation of Families: Mirrlees meets Becker*

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Musab Kurnaz
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Income Distribution ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Optimal Taxation ◽  
Tax Credits ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Welfare Gains ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Parental Time ◽  
The Us

Abstract This paper studies optimal taxation of families—a combination of an income tax schedule and child tax credits. Child-rearing requires both goods and parental time, which distinctly impact the design of optimal child tax credits. In the quantitative analysis, I calibrate my model to the US economy and show that the optimal child tax credits are U-shaped in income and are decreasing in family size. In particular, the optimal credits decrease in the first nine deciles of the income distribution and then increase thereafter. Implementing the optimum yields large welfare gains.

scholarly journals Market Imperfections and Income Distribution

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 1147-1167
Author(s):  
Ensar Yılmaz
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Income Distribution ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Wage Rate ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Market Imperfections ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Sector Model ◽  
Two Sectors

Abstract This paper aims to search links between market imperfections and functional income distribution. For this purpose we construct a two-sector model – wage goods and luxury goods producing sectors – incorporating imperfections of the product and labor markets under income inequality. In a structure with interdependent and partially monopolistic and competitive markets, we analytically trace up the effects of the changes in power relations proxied by the degree of mark-ups in the product and labor market. The model shows that price and wage mark-ups in two sectors have crucial income distribution implications for the agents in the economy to varying extents. It also demonstrates the effect of the existence of the differentiated consumption patterns arising from income inequality on income distribution. Furthermore, it seems that unemployment level creates externalities on wage rate and on corporate taxes of firms.

scholarly journals Inequality over the business cycle: the role of distributive shocks

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Marius Clemens ◽  
Ulrich Eydam ◽  
Maik Heinemann
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Income Distribution ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Panel Estimation ◽  
Bayesian Techniques ◽  
Elasticity Of Intertemporal Substitution ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
The Business Cycle

Abstract This paper examines how wealth and income inequality dynamics are related to fluctuations in the functional income distribution over the business cycle. In a panel estimation for OECD countries between 1970 and 2016, although inequality is, on average countercyclical and significantly associated with the capital share, one-third of the countries display a pro- or noncyclical relationship. To analyze the observed pattern, we incorporate distributive shocks into an RBC model, where agents are ex ante heterogeneous with respect to wealth and ability. We find that whether wealth and income inequality behave countercyclically or not depends on the elasticity of intertemporal substitution and the persistence of shocks. We match the model to quarterly US data using Bayesian techniques. The parameter estimates point toward a non-monotonic relationship between productivity and inequality fluctuations. On impact, inequality increases in response to TFP shocks but subsequently declines. Furthermore, TFP shocks explain 17% of inequality fluctuations.

scholarly journals Financialization at a watershed in the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 488-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costas Lapavitsas ◽  
Ivan Mendieta-Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Great Recession ◽  
Structural Breaks ◽  
Financial Regulation ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
Mortgage Debt ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Macroeconomic Indicators ◽  
The Usa

In the period following the Great Recession of 2007–2009 the financialization of the US economy reached a watershed characterized by stagnant financial profits, falling proportions of financial sector and mortgage debt, and rising proportion of public debt. The main macroeconomic indicators of financialization in the USA show structural breaks that can be dated around the period of the Great Recession. The reliance of households on the formal financial system appears to have weakened for the first time since the early 1980s. The financial sector has lacked the dynamism of the previous three decades, becoming more reliant on government. The state has increased its own indebtedness and supported large financial institutions via unconventional monetary policy measures. At the same time, state intervention has tightened the regulatory framework for big banks. The future path of financialization in the USA will depend heavily on government policy with regard to state debt and financial regulation, although the scope for boosting financialization is narrow.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Cathal O'Donoghue
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Labour Supply ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Unit Of Analysis ◽  
Environmental Models ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
Static Models ◽  
Spatial Microsimulation ◽  
Microsimulation Models

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book Practical Microsimulation Modelling. It provides as context a description of microsimulation modelling, a simulation-based tool with a micro-unit of analysis that can be used for ex-ante analysis. The methodology is motivated as a mechanism of abstracting from reality to help us understand complexity better. It describes the main analytical objectives of users of microsimulation models in the field of income distribution analysis. The chapter then describes in turn the main methods of microsimulation considered in the book: hypothetical models, static models, behavioural models (labour supply and consumption), environmental models, decomposing inequality, dynamic microsimulation models, and spatial microsimulation models. The chapter concludes by providing an outline of the book.

scholarly journals Secular Stagnation and Income Distribution Dynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-207
Author(s):  
David Kiefer ◽  
Ivan Mendieta-Muñoz ◽  
Codrina Rada ◽  
Rudiger von Arnim
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Capacity Utilization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Model Specification ◽  
Secular Stagnation ◽  
Labor Share ◽  
Potential Output ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Potential Output Growth

This paper contributes to the literature on secular stagnation by estimating a measure of potential output growth for the post-war US economy derived from a novel model specification that allows for the cyclical interactions between income distribution, represented by the trajectory of the labor share of income, and economic activity, as measured by capacity utilization. The results obtained show that potential output growth exhibits a gradual decline that predates the Great Recession and follows the downward trajectory of the labor share of income, thus suggesting the existence of an important long-run relationship between income distribution and output growth in the United States.

Entrepreneurship in Tourism Sector in Central European Country: Hospitality Trends in the Czech Republic in 2007 - 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1351
Author(s):  
Ladislav MURA ◽  
Patrik KAJZAR
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Central European ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Macroeconomic Indicators ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of occupancy in accommodation establishments in the Czech Republic at an average pace of real wage growth (%), GDP (%) and unemployment rate (%) in the period 2007-2016. The main sources of information utilized in contributions are based on tourism statistics and selected macroeconomic indicators obtained from the website of the Czech Statistical Office. The data was analysed using SAS software. The authors use regression analysis. It deals with dependence of the quantitative variable on one or more quantitative variables. The main results of this survey indicate an increase of  occupancy in collective acommodation establishements in the Czech Republic between 2007 - 2016, as well as a moderate increase was detected in  real wages and the GDP. While detecting an  increase of  occupancy in collective acommodation establishements in the Czech Republic, the fall of unemployment rate was recognized.

The rate of profit and economic stagnation in the United States economy

1997 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
Fred Moseley
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
The United States ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
United States Economy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Post War ◽  
Rate Of Profit

AbstractIn the first thirty years after World War II, the US economy performed very well. The rate of growth averaged 4—5%, the rate of unemployment was seldom above 5%, inflation was almost non-existent (1—2%), and the living standards of workers improved steadily. These were the ‘good old days'. However, this long period of expansion and prosperity ended in the 1970s. Since then, both the rate of unemployment and the rate of inflation have been much higher than before, and the average real wages of workers (i.e. the purchasing power of wages) have declined some 20%. Productivity growth has also slowed down and the debt burden of both capitalist enterprises and the Federal government has increased dramatically. It is in this sense that we may refer to the ‘economic crisis’ of the US economy over the last two decades. This crisis has certainly not been as severe as the Great Depression of the 1930s, but the economic performance has been significantly worse than in the early post-war period.

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