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Redistribution at the local level: the case of public childcare in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Alessandro Bucciol

    (University of Verona)

  • Laura Cavalli

    (University of Verona)

  • Paolo Pertile

    (University of Verona)

  • Veronica Polin

    (University of Verona)

  • Alessandro Sommacal

    (University of Verona)

Abstract

We study attitude toward redistribution by local policy-makers in the context of public childcare in Italy. Within a substantially homogeneous legislative framework, different municipalities autonomously define how participation fees vary with a compound indicator of income and wealth (ISEE), thus redistributing resources across households using the service. The nearly one hundred municipalities we take into account exhibit wide heterogeneity in redistributive attitudes. We find statistically significant correlations with a number of individual characteristics of policy-makers and municipalities, but not with those of the ex ante distribution of income, which should be central according to both normative and positive theory. Since the price of public childcare is subsidized, resources are also redistributed from taxpayers to users. The evidence we find is consistent with the hypothesis that this type of redistribution is a public good.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Bucciol & Laura Cavalli & Paolo Pertile & Veronica Polin & Alessandro Sommacal, 2016. "Redistribution at the local level: the case of public childcare in Italy," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 63(4), pages 359-378, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:63:y:2016:i:4:d:10.1007_s12232-016-0258-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-016-0258-z
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    1. Suárez-Varela, Marta & Martínez-Espiñeira, Roberto & González-Gómez, Francisco, 2015. "An analysis of the price escalation of non-linear water tariffs for domestic uses in Spain," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 82-93.
    2. Braga, Michela & Scervini, Francesco, 2017. "The performance of politicians: The effect of gender quotas," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-14.
    3. Luigi Brighi & Paolo Silvestri, 2019. "Inefficiency in Childcare Production: Evidence from Italian Microdata," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 5(1), pages 103-133, March.
    4. Marta Suárez-Varela & Roberto Martínez-Espiñeira, 2018. "A proposal for the analysis of price escalation within water tariffs: The impact of the Water Framework Directive in Spain," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(4), pages 726-749, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Redistribution; Progressivity; Childcare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue

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