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Inheritance, bequests, and labor supply

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  • Donald Cox

    (Boston College, USA)

Abstract

Inheriting money can be a problem since the new wealth might sap the beneficiaries’ incentive to work. Or it could do the opposite, by facilitating entrepreneurship among those whose ambition to start a business had been stymied by a lack of cash. Recent evidence suggests inheritance-related work disincentives can be strong—unexpected inheritances can matter a lot for early retirement, for example. But where inheritances facilitate self-employment, as some evidence suggests, the labor supply might increase.

Suggested Citation

  • Donald Cox, 2014. "Inheritance, bequests, and labor supply," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-69, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:y:2014:n:69
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Douglas Holtz-Eakin & David Joulfaian & Harvey S. Rosen, 1993. "The Carnegie Conjecture: Some Empirical Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(2), pages 413-435.
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    4. Elinder Mikael & Erixson Oscar & Ohlsson Henry, 2012. "The Impact of Inheritances on Heirs' Labor and Capital Income," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-37, December.
    5. David Joulfaian & Mark O. Wilhelm, 1994. "Inheritance and Labor Supply," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 29(4), pages 1205-1234.
    6. Wojciech Kopczuk, 2012. "Taxation of Intergenerational Transfers and Wealth," NBER Working Papers 18584, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Erik Hurst & Annamaria Lusardi, 2004. "Liquidity Constraints, Household Wealth, and Entrepreneurship," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(2), pages 319-347, April.
    8. Douglas Holtz-Eakin & David Joulfaian & Harvey S. Rosen, 1994. "Entrepreneurial Decisions and Liquidity Constraints," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(2), pages 334-347, Summer.
    9. Alicia H. Munnell & Anthony Webb & Zhenya Karamcheva & Andrew Eschtruth, 2011. "How Important Are Intergenerational Transfers for Baby Boomers?," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2011-2, Center for Retirement Research, revised Jan 2011.
    10. Scheve, Kenneth & Stasavage, David, 2012. "Democracy, War, and Wealth: Lessons from Two Centuries of Inheritance Taxation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 106(1), pages 81-102, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Spiteri & Philip Brockdorff, 2023. "Household Wealth and Inheritance Transfers: Evidence from the Euro Area," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 619-633, September.
    2. Aviad Tur-Sinai & Harald Künemund & Claudia Vogel, 2022. "Inheritances and work for pay — will the expected wave of bequests undermine active ageing policies?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1251-1261, December.
    3. Jaime Alonso-Carrera & Jordi Caballé & Xavier Raurich, 2016. "Intergenerational Mobility under Education-Effort Complementarity," Working Papers 905, Barcelona School of Economics.
    4. Jordi Caballé, 2016. "Intergenerational mobility: measurement and the role of borrowing constraints and inherited tastes," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 7(4), pages 393-420, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    inheritance; bequests; labor supply; estate tax; self-employment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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