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Making Work Pay: Increasing Labour Supply of Secondary Earners in Low Income Families with Children

Author

Listed:
  • Kurowska, Anna

    (Warsaw University)

  • Myck, Michal

    (Centre for Economic Analysis, CenEA)

  • Wrohlich, Katharina

    (DIW Berlin)

Abstract

In-work support through the tax-benefit system has proved to be an effective way of increasing labour supply of lone mothers and first earners in couples in a number of OECD countries. At the same time these instruments usually create negative employment incentives for secondary earners. This in turn reduces the potential of in-work support to address the joint objectives of higher employment and lower poverty levels. In this paper we present a simulation exercise to examine labour supply implications of a diverse set of possible reforms to the main elements of tax and benefit support of families with children. We set the analysis in the context of the Polish tax and benefit system and show how an adequate combination of increased generosity of support with the introduction of a "double earner" premium may result in increased labour supply of first and second earners in couples. The simulated reactions are concentrated in the lower half of the income distribution thus increasing the potential of in-work support to alleviate poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Kurowska, Anna & Myck, Michal & Wrohlich, Katharina, 2015. "Making Work Pay: Increasing Labour Supply of Secondary Earners in Low Income Families with Children," IZA Discussion Papers 9531, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9531
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michal Myck & Adrian Domitrz & Leszek Morawski & Aneta Semeniuk, 2015. "Financial incentives to work in the context of a complex reform package and growing wages: the Polish experience 2005–2011," Baltic Journal of Economics, Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 99-121.
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    Cited by:

    1. de Boer, Henk-Wim & Jongen, Egbert L.W. & Kabatek, Jan, 2022. "The effectiveness of fiscal stimuli for working parents," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. Slavko Bezeredi & Marko Ledić & Ivica Rubil & Ivica Urban, 2019. "Making work pay in Croatia: An ex-ante evaluation of two in-work benefits using miCROmod," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 12(3), pages 28-61.
    3. Michał Myck & Kajetan Trzciński, 2019. "From Partial to Full Universality: The Family 500+ Programme in Poland and its Labor Supply Implications," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(03), pages 36-44, October.
    4. Agustin Redonda, 2016. "Tax Expenditures and Sustainability. An Overview," Discussion Notes 1603, Council on Economic Policies.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    family policy; tax-benefit reforms; labour supply;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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