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Social preferences for public intervention: An empirical investigation based on French data

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  • Boarini, Romina
  • Le Clainche, Christine

Abstract

In this paper we examine the support given by French households to public intervention aimed at reducing inequalities and improving the well-being of low-income classes. We first discuss to what extent the model of self-interest could be relied upon when one wants to take into account social norms to explain the individual demand for redistribution. We find that social beliefs play an important role in explaining individual attitudes towards public intervention. We also find that the support given to redistribution can increase or decrease depending on the interaction between reciprocity norms and beliefs regarding the causes of poverty.

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  • Boarini, Romina & Le Clainche, Christine, 2009. "Social preferences for public intervention: An empirical investigation based on French data," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 115-128, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:38:y:2009:i:1:p:115-128
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    Cited by:

    1. Lucas Higuera, 2009. "Reporte de resultados de las encuestas LAPOP 2008," Research Department Publications 4612, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    2. repec:dau:papers:123456789/2574 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta, 2012. "In the mood for redistribution. An empirical analysis of individual preferences for redistribution in Italy," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(3), pages 2383-2398.
    4. Deffains, Bruno & Espinosa, Romain & Thöni, Christian, 2016. "Political self-serving bias and redistribution," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 67-74.
    5. Vincent Berthet & Camille Dorin & Jean-Christophe Vergnaud & Vincent de Gardelle, 2020. "How does symbolic success affect redistribution in left-wing voters? A focus on the 2017 French presidential election," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(3), pages 1-12, March.
    6. Alberto Montagnoli & Mirko Moro & Robert Wright, 2016. "Financial literacy and attitudes to redistribution," Working Papers 1605, University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics.
    7. Juliana Londono, 2011. "Movilidad social, preferencias redistributivas y felicidad en Colombia," Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, Universidad de los Andes,Facultad de Economía, CEDE, December.
    8. Schüring, Esther & Gassmann, Franziska, 2012. "Whom to target: an obvious choice?," MERIT Working Papers 2012-028, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    9. Chavanne David, 2020. "Thinking Like (Law-And-) Economists – Legal Rules, Economic Prescriptions and Public Perceptions of Fairness," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 16(1), pages 1-42, March.
    10. Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio, 2011. "In the mood for redistribution. An empirical analysis of individual preferences for redistribution in Italy," MPRA Paper 32049, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Chavanne David, 2020. "Thinking Like (Law-And-) Economists – Legal Rules, Economic Prescriptions and Public Perceptions of Fairness," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 16(1), pages 1-42, March.
    12. David Chavanne & Kevin A. McCabe & Maria Pia Paganelli, 2019. "Shared Experience and Third-Party Redistribution," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 45(3), pages 446-463, June.
    13. David Chavanne & Kevin A. McCabe & Maria Pia Paganelli, 2015. "Are Self-Made Men Made Equally? An Experimental Test of Impartial Redistribution and Perceptions of Self-Determination," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 40, pages 1-3.
    14. Esther Schüring & Franziska Gassmann, 2016. "The political economy of targeting – a critical review," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 34(6), pages 809-829, November.
    15. Sophie Harnay & Elisabeth Tovar, 2017. "Obeying vs. resisting unfair laws. A structural analysis of the internalization of collective preferences on redistribution using classification trees and random forests," EconomiX Working Papers 2017-34, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    16. David Chavanne, 2017. "Shaking Off Burdens – Debt Relief and Moral Intuitions," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 381-401, August.

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