Culture, Context, and the Taste for Redistribution

Erzo Luttmer and Monica Singhal

Working Paper Series from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Abstract: Is culture an important determinant of preferences for redistribution? To separate the effect of culture from the effect of the economic and institutional environment ("context"), we relate immigrants' preferences for redistribution to the average preference in their birth countries, controlling extensively for individual characteristics and country-of-residence fixed effects. We find a strong positive relationship. This cultural effect is larger for non-voters, those with shorter tenure in the country of residence, and those who move to countries with a large number of immigrants from their own birth countries. Immigrants from countries with a higher preference for redistribution are also more likely to vote for a more proredistribution political party. The effect of culture persists strongly into the second generation.

JEL-codes: D72 H23 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-cul, nep-ltv, nep-mig and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (33)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Culture, Context, and the Taste for Redistribution (2011)
Working Paper: Culture, Context, and the Taste for Redistribution (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp08-038

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