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The Altruistic Rich? Inequality and Other-Regarding Preferences for Redistribution

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  • Dimick, Matthew
  • Rueda, David
  • Stegmueller, Daniel

Abstract

What determines support among individuals for redistributive policies? Do individuals care about others when they assess the consequences of redistribution? This article proposes a model of other-regarding preferences for redistribution, which we term income-dependent altruism. Our model predicts that an individualÂ’s preferred level of redistribution is decreasing in income, increasing in inequality, and, more importantly, that the inequality effect is increasing in income. Thus, even though the rich prefer less redistribution than the poor, the rich are more responsive, in a positive way, to changes in inequality than are the poor. We contrast these results with several other prominent alternatives of other-regarding behavior. Using data for the United States from 1978 to 2010, we find significant support for our claims.

Suggested Citation

  • Dimick, Matthew & Rueda, David & Stegmueller, Daniel, 2017. "The Altruistic Rich? Inequality and Other-Regarding Preferences for Redistribution," Quarterly Journal of Political Science, now publishers, vol. 11(4), pages 385-439, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jlqjps:100.00015099
    DOI: 10.1561/100.00015099
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    Cited by:

    1. Minh T. Le & Alejandro Saporiti & Yizhi Wang, 2021. "Distributive politics with other‐regarding preferences," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 23(2), pages 203-227, April.
    2. Vasiliy A. Anikin & Yulia P. Lezhnina & Svetlana V. Mareeva & Ekaterina D. Slobodenyuk, 2019. "Who Seeks State Support In The New Russia And Why?," HSE Working papers WP BRP 24/PSP/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Moro-Egido, Ana I. & Solano-García, Ángel, 2020. "Does the perception of benefit fraud shape tax attitudes in Europe?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 1085-1105.
    4. Leo Ahrens, 2020. "Unfair Inequality and the Demand for Redistribution," LIS Working papers 771, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    5. Brañas-Garza, Pablo & Bucheli, Marisa & Espinosa, María Paz, 2020. "Altruism and information," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Timothy Hicks, 2023. "Torben Iversen and Philipp Rehm: Big data and the welfare state: how the information revolution threatens social solidarity," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 194(3), pages 421-426, March.
    7. Beiser-McGrath, Liam & Busemeyer, Marius R., 2023. "Carbon inequality and support for carbon taxation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120925, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Amalia, Nadira & Moeis, Jossy P. & Arundina, Tika & Pertiwi, Ristiyanti Hayu & Mardhatillah, Amy, 2021. "Impact analysis of religiosity and altruism on multidimensional inequality;," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 517-525.

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