Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens’ Preferences for Redistribution

Ilja Neustadt and Peter Zweifel (pzweifel@soi.uzh.ch)
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Peter Zweifel: Socioeconomic Institute, University of Zurich

No 1003, SOI - Working Papers from Socioeconomic Institute - University of Zurich

Abstract: The sustainability of the welfare state ultimately depends on citizens’ preferences for income redistribution. They are elicited through a Discrete Choice Experiment performed in 2008 in Switzerland. Attributes are redistribution as GDP share, its uses (the unemployed, old-age pensioners, people with ill health etc.), and nationality of beneficiary. Estimated marginal willingness to pay (WTP) is positive among those who deem benefits too low, and negative otherwise. However, even those who state that government should reduce income inequality exhibit a negative WTP on average. The major finding is that estimated average WTP is maximum at 21% of GDP, clearly below the current value of 25%. Thus, the present Swiss welfare state does not appear sustainable.

Keywords: Income redistribution; preferences; willingness to pay; welfare state; sustainability; discrete choice experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C35 C93 D63 H29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2010-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-dcm, nep-exp and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/51787/1/wp1003.pdf first version, 2010 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens' Preferences for Redistribution (2010)
Working Paper: Is the Welfare State Sustainable? Experimental Evidence on Citizens' Preferences for Redistribution (2010)
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