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The Implications of Insurance for the Efficacy of Fiscal Policy

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  • Andrew B. Abel

Abstract

Various tax policies provide consumers with forms of insurance. Social security has the payoff characteristics of an annuity. Income tax provides consumers with a degree of income insurance because the government shares part of the individual’s income risk. Redistributive taxes can be used to spread aggregate income risks across different generations. The effects of these and other tax policies are shown to depend crucially on the nature of existing private insurance arrangements.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew B. Abel, "undated". "The Implications of Insurance for the Efficacy of Fiscal Policy," Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research Working Papers 6-88, Wharton School Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:fth:pennfi:6-88
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    1. Yen-Ling Lin & Cheng-Yi Kang, 2023. "The Impact of Labor Market Risk on Youth Career Preparation for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Willem H. Buiter & K.M. Kletzer, 1994. "Ponzi Finance, Government Solvency and the Redundancy or Usefulness of Public Debt," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1070, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    3. Croushore, Dean, 1996. "Ricardian Equivalence with Wage-Rate Uncertainty," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 28(3), pages 279-293, August.
    4. Clemens, Christiane & Soretz, Susanne, 1997. "Welfare Effects of Income Taxation in a Model of Stochastic Growth," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-210, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    5. Shiller, Robert J., 1995. "Aggregate income risks and hedging mechanisms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 119-152.
    6. Buiter, Willem H. & Kletzer, Kenneth, 1992. "Government Solvency, Ponzi Finance and the Redundancy and Usefulness of Public Debt," CEPR Discussion Papers 680, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Netzer, Nick & Scheuer, Florian, 2007. "Taxation, insurance, and precautionary labor," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(7-8), pages 1519-1531, August.
    8. Paolo Melindi Ghidi, 2005. "A Model for Determining Consumption and Social Assistance Demand in Uncertainty Conditions," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 95(6), pages 167-198, November-.
    9. Strawczynski, Michel, 1998. "Social insurance and the optimum piecewise linear income tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 371-388, September.
    10. Simon Benninga & Uri M. Possen, 1991. "The economics of crowding out," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 10-23, Spring.

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