TY - UNPB

T1 - Inequality Aversion and Voting on Redistribution

AU - Höchtl, Wolfgang

AU - Sausgruber, Rupert

AU - Tyran, Jean-Robert

N1 - JEL classification: A13, C9, D72

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Some people have a concern for a fair distribution of incomes while others do not. Does such a concern matter for majority voting on redistribution? Fairness preferences are relevant for redistribution outcomes only if fair-minded voters are pivotal. Pivotality, in turn, depends on the structure of income classes. We experimentally study voting on redistribution between two income classes and show that the effect of inequality aversion is asymmetric. Inequality aversion is more likely to matter if the “rich” are in majority. With a “poor” majority, we find that redistribution outcomes look as if all voters were exclusively motivated by self-interest.

AB - Some people have a concern for a fair distribution of incomes while others do not. Does such a concern matter for majority voting on redistribution? Fairness preferences are relevant for redistribution outcomes only if fair-minded voters are pivotal. Pivotality, in turn, depends on the structure of income classes. We experimentally study voting on redistribution between two income classes and show that the effect of inequality aversion is asymmetric. Inequality aversion is more likely to matter if the “rich” are in majority. With a “poor” majority, we find that redistribution outcomes look as if all voters were exclusively motivated by self-interest.

KW - redistribution

KW - self interest

KW - experiment

KW - median voter

KW - inequality aversion

M3 - Working paper

BT - Inequality Aversion and Voting on Redistribution

PB - Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen

ER -