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Kammas, P. and Sarantides, V. (2016) Do dictatorships redistribute more? Working Paper. The Sheffield Economic Research Paper Series (SERPS) (2015001). Department of Economics, University of Sheffield , Sheffield. ISSN 1749-8368
Abstract
This paper seeks to examine the effect of the political regime on fiscal redistribution for a maximum of 144 developed and developing countries between 1960 and 2010. Using data on Gini coefficients before and after government intervention allows us to apply a measure of fiscal redistribution which reflects the effect of taxes and transfers on income inequality. We find that dictatorial regimes redistribute more than democracies through taxes and transfers. Our empirical findings remain robust across several different specifications and estimation techniques. Subsequently, we employ fiscal policy data in an attempt to enlighten this puzzling - at a first glance - empirical finding. Our results indicate that democracies and dictatorships actually follow different patterns of redistribution. Dictatorships redistribute income mostly through cash transfers, whereas democratic regimes basically rely on public good services (such as health and education) and consequently redistribute income mostly through in-kind public services. We interpret our empirical findings in the context of a simple theoretical framework that builds upon McGuire and Olson (1996).
Metadata
Item Type: | Monograph |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | The Sheffield Economic Research Paper Series (SERPS) offers a forum for the research output of the Department of Economics, University of Sheffield. Papers are reviewed for quality and presentation by two internal referees and a departmental editor. However, the contents and opinions expressed remain the responsibility of the author(s). Comments are welcomed and should be addressed to the individual author(s). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Economics (Sheffield) > Sheffield Economics Research Papers Series The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Economics (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Apr 2016 09:46 |
Last Modified: | 20 Apr 2016 09:51 |
Published Version: | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/economics/research/ser... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Department of Economics, University of Sheffield |
Series Name: | The Sheffield Economic Research Paper Series (SERPS) |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:97840 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Dictatorships (actually) redistribute more. (deposited 05 Feb 2015 16:10)
- Do dictatorships redistribute more? (deposited 20 Apr 2016 09:46) [Currently Displayed]