Taxation and Market Work: Is Scandinavia an Outlier?

Richard Rogerson

No 12890, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper argues that it is essential to explicitly consider how the government spends tax revenues when assessing the effects of tax rates on aggregate hours of market work. Different forms of government spending imply different elasticities of hours of work with regard to tax rates. I illustrate the empirical importance of this point by addressing the issue of hours worked and tax rates in three sets of economies: the US, Continental Europe and Scandinavia. While tax rates are highest in Scandinavia, hours worked in Scandinavia are significantly higher than they are in Continental Europe. I argue that differences in the form of government spending can potentially account for this pattern.

JEL-codes: E2 J2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-mac, nep-pbe and nep-pub
Note: EFG PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (187)

Published as Richard Rogerson, 2007. "Taxation and market work: is Scandinavia an outlier?," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 59-85, July.

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