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Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral Resources and Preferences for Redistribution

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Couttenier

    (HEC Lausanne - Faculté des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC Lausanne))

  • Marc Sangnier

    (GREQAM - Groupement de Recherche en Économie Quantitative d'Aix-Marseille - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper provides empirical evidence that mineral resources abundance is associated to preferences for redistribution in the United States. We show that individuals living in states with large mineral resources endowment are more opposed to redistribution than others. We take advantage of both the spatial and the temporal distributions of mineral resources discoveries since 1800 to uncover two mechanisms through which mineral resources can foster ones' opposition to redistribution: either by transmission of values formed in the past, or by the exposure to mineral discoveries during individuals' life-time. We show that both mechanisms matter to explain respondents' preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Couttenier & Marc Sangnier, 2015. "Living in the Garden of Eden: Mineral Resources and Preferences for Redistribution," Working Papers halshs-01111544, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01111544
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01111544
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    persistence; redistribution; mineral resources;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General
    • Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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