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Optimal Redistribution with Productive Social Services

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  • Luciano G. Greco

Abstract

We analyze the optimality of alternative mechanisms of public provision of private goods affecting the productive capacity of households (e.g. education, health-care) rather than directly their welfare. Opting out mechanisms - often considered a tool to focus social expenditure - are proven to be welfare improving under the assumption that the provided good is not a substitute of households' exogenous productive capacity (say, inherited wealth). Conversely, when publicly provided goods are substitute of inherited productive capacity, topping up mechanisms prove more efficient.
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  • Luciano G. Greco, 2011. "Optimal Redistribution with Productive Social Services," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 113(1), pages 55-73, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:113:y:2011:i:1:p:55-73
    DOI: j.1467-9442.2010.01642.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Bassetti & Luciano Greco, 2022. "Optimal redistributive policies by publicly provided inputs and income taxation," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(3), pages 504-528, June.
    2. Marcelo Arbex & Enlinson Mattos & Laudo M. Ogura, 2015. "Welfare and Inequality with Hard-to-Tax Markets," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 71(3), pages 371-384, September.
    3. Thomas Bassetti & Luciano Greco, 2015. "Optimal Taxation and Productive Social Expenditure," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0196, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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